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FORTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
NORTH CAROLINA
Agricultural Experiment Station
YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1918
North Carolina State Library
GIFT OF
North Carolina State Library 0oC.
galeigh
FORTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT
NORTH CAROLINA
Agricultural Experiment Station
CONDUCTED JOINTLY BY THE
N. C. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
N. C. STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND ENGINEERING
YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1918
INCLUDING
Bulletins Nos. 238 and 240, and Technical Bulletin 14
LETTER OF SUBMITTAL
Raleigh, K. C, June 30, 1918.
To His Excellency, T. W. Bickett,
Governor of North Carolina.
Sir :—I have the honor to submit herewith report of the operations of
the Agricultural Experiment Station, conducted jointly by the North
Carolina Department of Agriculture and the JSTorth Carolina State
College of Agriculture and Engineering, for the year ended June 30,
1918. This work is under the immediate direction of the "Joint Com-mittee
for Agricultural Work," provided for in chapter 68 of the Public
Laws of 1913, and amended by chapter 223 of the Public Laws of 1917,
and the report is made in accordance with the requirement's of the Act
of Congress approved March 2, 1887, and known as the Hatch Act.
Very respectfully,
B. W, KlLGORE,
Director.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Letter of Submittal 3
Staff of Workers 5
General Summary of the Work of the Station During the Year 7
Financial Report 20
Report of the Division of Agronomy 22
Report of the Division of Chemistry 36
Report of the Division of Animal Industry 38
Report of the Division of Entomology 42
Report of the Division of Horticulture 50
Report of the Division of Plant Pathology and Bacteriology 58
Report of the Division of Markets and Rural Organizations 60
Report on Drainage 72
Bulletins:
No. 238—Harvesting Tobacco by Priming or Picking the Leaves as
Compared with Cutting the Stalks—^By E. G. Moss.
No. 240—Composite versus One-Day Sampling of Milk for the Babcock
Test—By W. H. Eaton.
Technical Bulletin
No. 14—Repair of Bone in Domestic Fowl—By B. F. Kaupp.
BOARD OF AGRICULTURE
*W. A. Graham, Chairman, Raleigh
F. P. Latham.. Belhaven *A. T. McCallum ..Red Springs
C. W. Mitchell ..Aulander *C. C. Wright Hunting Creek
*R. L. Woodard Pamlico William Bledsoe ".Gale
*Clarence Poe Raleigh H. Q. Alexander Matthews
R. W. Scott Haw River A. Cannon. Horse Shoe
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE COLLEGE
Governor T. W. Bickett, Chairman.
M. B. Stickley Concord *T. T. Thorne Rocky Mount
T. T. Ballinger Tryon *C. W. Gold Greensboro
W. H. Williamson Raleigh T. E. Vann Como
*0. L. Clark Clarkton P. S. Boyd .Mooresville
Everett Thompson Elizabeth City W. E. Daniel Weldon
R. H. Ricks Rocky Mount *W. H. Ragan High Point
W. B. Cooper Wilmington
A. M. Dixon Gastonia
*W. C. Riddick (President College), West Raleigh
STAFF OF THE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION AND
EXTENSION SERVICE
Administration
B. W. Kilgore Director of Experiment Station and Extension Service
C. B. Williams Vice-Director Experiment Station
R. W. Collett Assistant Director Branch Stations
S. G. Rubinow Assistant to Director Extension Service
F. H. Jeter . Agricultural Editor
A. F. Bowen Bursar
Miss S. D. Jones Bursar
Miss Mary S. Birdsong . Secretary to Director
H. C. Evans . Auditor and Executive Assistant
Agronomy
C. B. Williams • Chief in Agronomy |S. O. Perkins Assistant in Soil Survey
J. K. Plummer Soil Chemist L. L. Brinkley Assistant in Soil Survey
W. F. Pate Agronomist—Soils fE. S. Vanetta Assistant in Soil Survey
E. C. Blair Assistant Agronomist—Soils S. F. Davidson Assistant in Soil Survey
S. K. Jackson Assistant Agronomist—Soils fR- C. Jurney Assistant in Soil Survey
R. Y. Winters Plant Breeding W. A. Davis Assistant in Soil Survey
V. R. Herman .Assistant in Plant Breeding E. H. Matthewson Tobacco Expert
N. E. Winters Extension Agronomist A. R. Russell Asst. in Field Experiments
M. W. Hensel, Specialist in Sugar Plant Production
Chemistry
E. S. Dewar . Assistant Chemist
R. A. Fetzer Assistant Chemist
G. L. Arthur Assistant Chemist
Entomology
Franklin Sherman, Jr. .Chief in Entomology J. E. Eckert Assistant Entomologist
Z. P. Metcalf Entomologist fC. L. Sams . Beekeeping
R. W. Leiby Assistant Entomologist fW. A. Thomas 1 Extension Entomologist
Horticulture
Animal Industry
Dan T. Gray Chief in Animal Industry fA. C. Kimrey Assistant in Dairy Farming
R. S. Curtis Associate in Animal Industry fD. R. Noland.
Stanley Combs Dairy Experimenter Assistant in Dairy Farming (Cheese Work)
B. F. Kaupp, tF. T. Peden Assistant in Beef Cattle
Poultry Investigator and Pathologist |J- W. Sloss Assistant in Beef Cattle
tA. J. Reed Dairy Farming |J- B. Peery Assistant in Beef Cattle
|J. E. Moses Swine Extension Specialist {Albert Miller Assistant in Beef Cattle
tW. W. Shay Assistant, Swine Extension Earl Hostetler,
|J. C. Anthony Assistant, Swine Extension Assistant in Beef Cattle and Swine
fA. G. Oliver Poultry Extension IGeorge Evans Assistant in Sheep
fE. C. Warden Assistant, Poultry Extension |W. H. Fergusgn Assistant in Sheep
jj. A. Arey Assistant in Dairy Farming John E. IvEY.-.Asst. in Poultry Investigations
fF. R. Farnham, Assistant in Dairy Farming (Cheese Work) ,
6 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
Plant Pathology
F. A. Wolf Plant Pathologist R. A. Jehle Extension Pathologist
Drainage
fH. M. Lynde Senior Drainage Engineer F. O. Bartel Junior Drainage Engineer
Yeterinaiiy
G. A. Roberts Veterinarian _
Markets and Rural Organization
W. R. Camp Chief, Division of Markets
O. J. McConnell Specialist in Cotton Marketing
Charles S. Jones Specialist in Live Stock Marketing
W. W. Garnett Assistant Superintendent of Credit Unions
Bolling Hall Assistant in Marketing Fruits and Vegetables
Gorrell Shumaker Assistant in Marketing Fruits and Vegetables
Farm Management
fJ. M. Johnson Farm Management
Branch Stations
R. W. Collett. Assistant Director in Charge Branch Stations
F. T. Meacham Assistant Director Iredell Branch Station, Statesville
W. J. Brockington Assistant Director Pender Branch Station, Willard
C. E. Clark Assistant Director Edgecombe Branch Station, Rocky Mount
E. G. Moss Assistant Director Granville Branch Station, Oxford
S. C. Clapp Assistant Director Buncombe Branch Station, Swannanoa
H. Bocker Assistant Director Black Land Branch Station, Wenona
Farm Demonstration Work
C. R. Hudson- State Agent
E. S. Millsaps District Agent, Western District
T. D. McLean District Agent, Central District
J. M. Gray District Agent, Mountain District
O. F. McCrary District Agent, Northeastern District
R. W. Freeman District Agent, Southeastern District
Home Demonstration Work
Mrs. Jane S. McKimmon State Home Demonstration Agent
Mrs. J. H. Henley District Agent, Western District
Mrs. Lizzie R. Edgerton District Agent, West Central District
Miss Laura M. Wingpield J District Agent, Central District
Mrs. Estelle T. Smith District Agent, East Central Ditrictt
Mrs. Cornelia C. Morris District Agent, Eastern District
Agricultural Club Work
T. E. Browne State Agent
A. K. Robertson Corn Club Agent
A. G. Oliver Poultry Extension
t J. E. Moses Swine Extension
W. Kerr Ooott '. * Assistant Club Agent
Farm Forestry
H. B. Krausz Farm Forestry Specialist
Farm Machinery
E. R. Raney Farm Machinery Specialist
The members marked with * are members of the Joint Committee for Agricultural Work, and the
Station is under their direction.
tin cooperation with the U. S. Department of Agriculture.
FORTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station
For the Year Ending June 30, 1918
B. W. Kilgore, Director
F. H. Jeter, Agricultural Editor
The North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, in common
with the other institutions of the State, has just passed through one of
the most interesting, though one of" the most trying years of is existence.
During this period it has tried to be of real active service to the people
of the State and its staff of patriotic workers has given freely of it's time
and efforts to aid the government program of winning the war.
The Station is conducted jointly in North Carolina by the State
Department of Agriculture and the State College of Agriculture and
Engineering in cooperation with the United States Department of
Agriculture. The general administration of its affairs is handled by
the joint committee for agricultural work, representing the State Board
of Agriculture and the Board of Trustees of the College.
Conforming with the policy of practically every educational institu-tion,
during the year ending June 30, 1918, the Station has lent' its
services largely to the solution of those agricultural problems arising as
a result of the world war, and its staff has felt to the fullest extent that,
in so far as possible, they should lend aid to the very important task of
placing agriculture on a firm basis, in order to meet the war-time and
after the war demands of the nation. However, none of the valuable
experimental work now under way has been seriously neglected, -nor
has a study of future problems been overlooked.
As heretofore, the Station has sought to anticipate the needs of the
farmers of the State ; and, while it has engaged in experimental work of
a practical nature, which would make available ready information to be
carried by the Extension workers directly to the farmers, it has also
studied those technical problems indirectly related to the every day
practical problems, but which serve to give additional information about
the obscure truths of agriculture from which an application of these
to the practical agriculture can be deducted.
Considerable progress has been made on a number of the projects
now being studied. With the experimental work and extension work
being closely allied, as they are, it is easily possible for the extension
workers to take this information directly to the people of the State.
North Carolina State library
Raleigh
Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
CHANGES IN STAFF
There have been few changes in the staff since the time of the last
report. Most' of these have been occasioned by the workers severing
their connection with the institution to go into the military services of
the nation, and by others finding more remunerative positions in other
organizations. These changes are mainly as follows
:
Dr. F. A. Wolf, Chief of the Division of Botany and Plant Pathology,
was given a leave of absence for the period of the war, his place being
filled by Dr. W. H. Tisdale, who became Associate Chief of Division.
Mr. A. C. Foster, Assistant in this Division, also resigned during the
year to enter the Army Medical School at Washington, D. C.
Mr. R. G. Hill was transferred from the Division of Horticulture to
become superintendent' of the Pender Branch Station, and resigned
that place to take up work with the Federal Department of Agriculture.
He was succeeded at the Pender Station by Mr. W. J. Brockington,
formerly County Agent in Wilson County.
Dr. J. K. Plummer, Soil Chemist, was given a leave of absence 'to
engage in chemical research work for the War Department.
Mr. F. E. Carruth resigned to go with the Federal Department of
Agriculture.
Mr. W. N". Hutt, Chief of the Division of Horticulture, resigned
during the year to go into commercial work within the State.
Mr. R. O. Cromwell, Assistant in Plant Disease work, severed his
connection with the Station during the year to accept a position with
the Nebraska Station.
Mr. F. O. Bartel succeeded Mr. F. R. Baker in the Drainage Division,
when Mr. Baker accepted a commission in the regular army, and Mr.
Bartel afterwards entered the military service.
In the Marketing Division, Mr. Charles S. Jones became Specialist in
Livestock Marketing, and Mr. W. W. Garnett was made Assist'ant
Superintendent of Credit Unions, due to the resignation of Mr. J. A.
Livingston. Mr. Gorrell Shumaker also entered the military service
and returned after the armistice.
Mr. W. H. Eat'on resigned during the year as Dairy Experimentalist
to take up Dairy Extension work in Alabama. He was succeeded by
Mr. Stanley Combs, formerly Assistant in Dairy Farming.
Messrs. R. A. Fetzer and G. L. Arthur became Assistant Chemists on
the resignations of Messrs. J. Q. Jackson and T. M. Hill to enter the
army. Mr. Jackson died in the service at Camp Upton, ~N. Y.
INTERESTING RESULTS SECURED
As has been stated, many of the different divisions have succeeded in
working out much authoritative data on the different questions in which
the farmer is vitally interested ; this being given to the press and to the
1ST. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 9
public through news stories ; weekly issues of the Extension Farm News,
and bulletins of the Agricultural Experiment Station, the State Depart-ment
of Agriculture, and the Agricultural Extension Service.
Particularly valuable have been the results of the investigations con-cerning
beef cattle on the farm of T. £,. Gwynn in western North Caro-lina.
It has been found here that beef cattle may be grazed in the
mountains during the winter, and that they meet the spring in a much
better condition than when simply carried over by maintenance rations.
The establishment of the experimental farm with sheep at Spruce
Pine, in Mitchell County, during the year, has also put the Station in
line for securing valuable data in regard to this phase of animal hus-bandry.
About two hundred head of sheep are under observation at
the present time on this farm.
The results of the investigation as to the cause of milk sickness in
animals in the western part of the State have been worked out in a very
exhaustive manner, it being determined that the disease is caused by the
cattle eating of a weed known as Eupatorium urticge-folium or White
Snakeroot. The results of these investigations have been published in
Technical Bulletin No. 15, which gives methods of control of this here-tofore
little known disease.
A continuation of the potato spraying work, both in the western and
in the eastern parts of the State, where two crops per season may be
grown, has proven conclusively that it pays to spray for both disease and
insect pests, and that increased gains of 50 per cent crops of potatoes
may be gained by this practice.
Investigations as to rural credit have been continued in the Division
of Markets, with the sixteen Credit Unions now operating in the State.
It is worth while to observe that the membership in these organiza-tions
has increased from 514 in 1917 to 653 in 1918, with the number of
depositors now being four times what it was then, and a greatly increased
buying of shares, with an increase also in the total amount of deposits.
The money now paid in on shares amounts to $7,512.77. This amount
was a little over $2,000 in 1917. The total deposits have increased
from about $2,000 to over $11,000, and loans and borrowers have also
greatly increased. In fact, the total resources of the Unions now
amount to $24,618.69, while in 1916 this amounted to only $7,471.42.
The investigations of the disease known as "wildfire" in tobacco have
resulted in much valuable information being accumulated, and the Divi-sion
of Plant Pathology has been able to give advice as to the growing of
a crop of tobacco free from this trouble. The great losses in tobacco
which occurred during 1917 from this disease, makes this investigation
of particularly high value.
The losses of beans and peas from weevils have been reduced, as a
result of investigations by the Division of Entomology in the use of
lime and heat to control these pests.
Much aid has been rendered by the Experiment Station to farmers in
different counties in the cooperative marketing and shipping of livestock,
10 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
notably hogs, to out-of-State markets. In this, the Livestock Specialist
first has made exhaustive surveys, and, then, in cooperation with the
county agent of the Extension Service, has had several farmers to go in
together to make up shipments of carloads of hogs, thus aiding the small
grower, as well as the larger producer.
There has been a notable increase in the acreage of soybeans in the
State, due to the investigations of the Division of Agronomy in regard to
the culture and variety studies of this important North Carolina crop.
Increases of from 50 to 100 j)er cent are common in most' counties, and
some have made increases as high as 500 per cent.
The work of the Division of Agronomy in crop variety tests has also
been important. This has proven to be one of the most valuable phases
of experimental research, in that it has furnished the farmers of the
State definite information about the varieties of any crop best suited to
local conditions. Those who have adopted the suggestions being worked
out are increasing their crop yields very much by this one method alone.
From this work has come the community improvement of cotton that
is now being carried on by twenty communities in eleven counties by
members of the Agricultural Extension Service. This work has caused
the growers to be able to produce cotton of higher quality, and in greater
quantity, resulting in increased profits from the growth of this crop
The establishment of home orchards by the Extension Service has also
been made possible by the investigations as to the different varieties of
fruit best' suited to the several sections of the State. One hundred and
six of these home orchards were established during the past year on the
basis of the investigational work which has been conducted.
The organization of breeding associations in five of the counties is
another feature of interest founded on the investigational work now
being conducted with livestock.
Potato house construction, as a direct result of the investigations at
the Pender Branch Station, has also received a decided impetus. A cam-paign
for these storage houses was made during the year, in cooperation
with the county agents of the Extension Service, and the Division of
Horticulture reports a total of around 75 houses constructed, with a total
capacity of over 100,000 bushels.
The work of culling poultry has been demonstrated t'o the people of
the State, as a result of investigations by the Animal Industry Division.
Many birds have been discarded without the expense of trap nesting.
During these war periods, when all feed is scarce and high in price, this
work alone has been of much practical value.
The Experiment Station workers also have lent much aid t'o the
movement of increasing the sheep population of the State, their efforts
resulting in an increase of about 3 per cent in the number of sheep in
ISTorth Carolina during the past' year. As all of the vital problems
affecting this industry are being studied both at the central farm and
on the Mitchell County farm, the Station expects within a short' while
to be able to give accurate authoritative data in regard to many of the
questions affecting the handling and raising of sheep in this State.
!N". C. Agricultural Experiment Station 11
BRANCH STATIONS OF GREAT AID IN EXPERIMENTAL WORK
North Carolina is particularly fortunate in that it has a system of
branch experiment stations located in the different sections of the State,
making it possible that all questions of the State's agriculture may be
studied in the section where these questions are likely to be of the great-est
importance. These six branch stations are supported directly by the
State Department of Agriculture, the work being in charge of a superin-tendent
who carries out' the work of those Experiment Station workers
who have problems under investigation on that particular branch station
farm. Heretofore, these branch stations have been known as test farms,
but, as the work has assumed more and more importance, and the equip-ment
has grown in value, it has been decided to give them the dignity
of branch stations, with the following designations being given
:
Mountain Branch Station at Swannanoa, in Buncombe County.
Piedmont Branch Station at Statesville, in Iredell County.
Truck Branch Station at Willard, in Pender County.
Coastal Plain Branch Station at Rocky Mount, in Edgecombe County.
Tobacco Branch Station at Oxford, in Granville County.
Muckland Barich Station at Wenona, in Washington County.
Investigational work on these farms is on a good basis, and much
valuable data is being accumulated.
AGRICULTURAL MEETINGS HELD AND ATTENDED
During the year the Experiment Station workers have also been very
active at many of the larger agricultural meetings of the State. While
most of these meetings were arranged by Extension workers, the inves-tigational
men have been called upon to take part and to give the results
of their work. These meetings have been in the form of farmers insti-tutes,
patriotic sheep meetings, food and feed production meetings, live-stock
conferences, club rallies, and farmers picnics.
The Farmers Convention at West Ealeigh, during August, had one of
its most successful meetings, with the Experiment Station workers
appearing on the program at all of the important sectional conferences.
The Annual Livestock Meeting at Wilson gave promise of being one
of the most successful of recent years, but on account of inclement
weather, many farmers were deterred from attending. In spite of this,
however, much good was done by the selling of several consignments of
pure bred hogs and cattle, and in increasing the interest about pure
bred livestock in the eastern section of the State. This was reflected
later by the banks of the section taking up the matter with the farmers,
and calls then being made on the Extension Workers for buying several
carloads of pure bred dairy and beef cattle from out-of-State markets.
At least forty carloads of western cattle were brought into the State
during the summer, with most' of these going into the eastern district.
12 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
VALUABLE COOPERATION GIVEN STATION
It is also timely to stat'e that the Experiment Station is particularly
fortunate in having the close cooperation of many of the State institu-tions,
the State press, business organizations, and other organizations
and individuals in working for the advancement of agricultural develop-ment.
It has enjoyed the closest cooperation of the daily, weekly and
agricultural press, of the railroad workers, of the Stat'e banks, the
Chambers of Commerce, and of those educational institutions on which
it relies for support and encouragement.
It is not out of place also to mention here that many of the larger
papers of the State have issued BETTER FARMING SPECIALS,
opening their columns to signed articles from the Experiment Station
workers, and that they have used freely the material supplied by the
weekly Extension Farm News, and by the daily press service.
The people of the State, as a whole, have responded freely and with-out
stint, during the year, to all of the calls which have been made upon
them, the farmers particularly showing patriotism of the highest type
by putting in as many acres of food crops as they could possibly culti-vate
and handle, and by laboring unselfishly in furthering the food
production program of the nation.
AGRONOMY
The Division of Agronomy continues to study the soil and fertility
problems of the State, devoting considerable attention also to the selec-tion
and breeding of better crop varieties, and of determining the fitness
of these for the different soil conditions. During the past year it has
completed soil surveys in Bertie, Wilkes, Orange, Hoke, and Caldwell
counties, while at the present time a party is at work in Vance County,
and another member of the division is making a base map of Wash
County for the commissioners.
Fertility experiments are being conducted with different crops on many
of those soils of the State which have been previously mapped to show
the fertilizer requirements of the soil, and the plant food deficiencies.
As to carriers of plant food, the studies on most of the farms indicate
that- nitrate of soda, followed by sulphate of ammonia, are the most
efficient carriers of nitrogen, while acid phosphate is a much more eco-nomical
carrier of phosphoric acid than is the finely ground phosphate
rock. This latter fact is shown to be true on practically all of the
farms of the State, as the acid phosphate is giving greater and more
economical crop yields. The use of lime is also showing up to excellent
advantage.
Crop improvement work is being carried on by field selection and
breeding at each of the seven experimental farms, and from it good
increases in crop yields have been secured from the selected strains.
~N. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 13
With tobacco, experiments show that' many more plants could be put
on the same area of land than is now commonly practiced, thereby
greatly increasing the average yield. It has also been ascertained that
the priming of the tobacco leaves is much more to be desired than cut-ting
the whole stalk, as gains of as much as 240 pounds per acre have
been made where the practice of priming has been followed. Con-sidering
the present prices of tobacco, this is an important fact for the
average tobacco farmer to know.
The test of the varieties of tobacco show that most of the so-called
varieties are all more or less closely related to the original Orinoco type,
but that the best varieties usually give from 100 to 200 pounds more
tobacco per acre than the poorer ones.
A soil and fertility report has been complet'ed for the Coastal Plain
Section of the State, and issued as the May, 1918, bulletin of the State
Department of Agriculture.
chemistry
The chief efforts of the Division of Chemistry, during the year, have
been devoted to a compilation of the results of the experimental data
accumulated during previous years. It has published several articles
about the toxicity of cotton seed and its products, most of these having
to do with the conclusions which have been reached in a study of
Samples of cottonseed meal have been secured from various mills in
different sections of the State, and the subsequent tests have shown that
there has been a considerable variation in the amount of toxic sub-stances
in the different samples. It appears that this is partly due to
the method of manufacture of the meal, as well as in the original differ-ence
in the seeds.
Experiments also indicate that meal for commercial purposes may be
manufactured so that the toxicity may be reduced to inappreciable
amounts. This latter phase is being studied carefully and fully in
order to arrive at more definite conclusions on the subject.
ANIMAL INDUSTRY
The investigational work of the Animal Industry Division is divided
among the different offices of the Division, and is concerned with the
handling of beef cattle and sheep, dairy cattle, poultry, swine, horses,
and mules.
In the work with beef cattle and sheep, probably the most outstanding
feature, has been secured on the farm of T. L. Gwynn in Haywood
County, where the winter grazing of livestock has been studied, together
with the effect of these different methods upon the cattle during the
following summer. The data secured on this farm has proven that by
the use of a pasture mixture consisting largely of orchard grass, the
cattle may be carried through the winter and meet the spring pastures
14 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
in a much better condition and at a much cheaper cost than when fed on
harvested feeds such as corn stover, cottonseed meal, or other feeds sup-plied
as a maintenance ration.
In cooperation with the Division of Plant Pathology, considerable
work also was done on the feeding of animals with the white snakeroot
plant, in order to obtain definite data on the disease known as t'rembles
or milk sickness, which occurs, to a great extent, among livestock in
western North Carolina.
The establishment of the Spruce Pine farm in Mitchell County is
putting the Division in line for securing much valuable data on the
best methods of growing and feeding sheep in the mountains, both during
the winter and summer. This farm, under the direction of Mr. W. P.
Radford, as superintendent, has, during the short time it has been estab-lished,
been of great local value.
A change in the dairy investigations, due to the resignation of Mr.
W. H. Eaton, caused a temporary adjustment in the studies being made
in this office.
Mr. Stanley Combs, the present dairy experimentalist, is devoting his
time to the Pender dairy herd, making an effort to inject better care and
business principles into its management. He has on hand at the present
time 44 animals in this herd, many of which are calves and other young
stuff. The dairy will be built up to a permanent 30 cow establishment,
after which all of the problems in connection with the conduct of a
dairy will be thoroughly studied.
At the present time, there is being accumulated much authoritative
data on the cost of milk production, the cost of raising dairy heifer
calves, and the removal of onion flavor from the milk and butter.
The poultry office has over 20 projects under investigation, one of
which, on the anatomy, physiology and. histology of the domestic fowl,
has been of such value that Dr. B. F. Kaupp has recently been able to
complete a book on this question, which is a standing contribution to
scientific literature. All of the laboratory work in connection with the
preparation of this manuscript was done at the Station.
Many other studies, such as breeding for egg production, the value of
different feeds, the culling of birds based on physical indications, meth-ods
in fattening and shipping fowls, together with the handling and
shipping of eggs, are all being studied both at the central experimental
poultry farm and the Iredell farm.
The work with swine has to do largely with the production of cheap
pork by the utilization of permanent and temporary pastures, and the
affect of these pastures upon the bodies of hogs, together with a study
of the use of feeds for hardening the bodies-. Different methods of
curing meats have also been carefully investigated throughout the year.
The Animal Industry Division has been unusually active during the
past year, with the men of the staff taking part in all of the campaigns
for increased production of meat and fats, and this activity meeting
with some degree of success.
1ST. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 15
ENTOMOLOGY
While the workers in the Division of Entomology have spent consid-erable
time during the year in activities of an extension nature, due to
the necessity arising for a better knowledge of insect control on account
of war conditions, still the main projects of investigational work are
being continued.
Some of the principal projects are a study of pecan insects; a con-tinuation
of the studies in connection with the life history, habits, gen-erations,
and other questions concerning the corn stalk borer, together
with the methods for control; tests with the spraying of potatoes; the
dusting of cabbage to control worms, and a survey of the insect life of
the State.
Under the Hatch and Adams funds, considerable work has also been
done with the gloomy scale, bean and pea weevils, melon beetles, the
tobacco flea beetle, and insects affecting ornamental plants.
To a less extent, the soap and water remedy for aphids, field studies
of the black corn weevil, and observations on the control of mosquit'oes
and flies also have received attention.
Many tests have been made during the year for the control of the
different insects affecting the pecan, and the application of several rem-edies
so as to secure the best protection for the pecan orchards of the
State from the ravages of these insects.
The potato spraying work has been extremely valuable in that the
extension workers have been able to take the findings from this work
and apply them in demonstration work with the potato growers in both
eastern and western North Carolina. Increased yields amounting to at
least 50 per cent have been secured from these sprayings.
In the insect survey of the State at least 2,000 species or kinds of
insects have been collected and records secured to show that there are at
least 5,000 species not known to be native of the State.
The study of mosquitoes and flies, in connection with the sanitary
work of the Public Health Service, has been observed so that this work
may be undertaken after the war emergency period is passed. Particu-lar
attention has been directed to the drainage of standing water, so as
to lessen the breeding of mosquitoes, and many specimens have been
collected for the purpose of ascertaining the particular kinds present in
the several sections of the State.
It has been found in the work with the gloomy scale that a small
wasp will kill as high as 98 per cent of the scale on a shade maple, but
this wasp is not present to any beneficial extent every year, therefore
spraying during the dormant period must be relied upon for practical
control.
With bean and pea weevils, it has been found that it is necessary to
control these either by the use of air-slaked lime, or to kill the weevils
by artificial heat.
16 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
The melon beetles have been studied now for three years, in coopera-tion
with the Division of Cereal Crop Insects of the United States
Bureau of Entomology, and it has been found that the grub of one par-ticular
kind of this beetle is very destructive to corn, making it necessary
that a relation between the time of planting corn and destruction by the
crop of this insect be carefully observed. Plats are being used on five of
the different branch stations in working out this problem.
To control the tobacco flea beetle, at least four different methods have
been advocated in a manuscript which is now ready for printing, and
which will give in detail the work done on this problem.
Investigations with the control of Hessian Fly in wheat have
reached a point where the results from this work have been turned over
to the Extension Service, and a bulletin has been issued by the State
Department of Agriculture showing in detail the safe dates for sowing
wheat to escape injury by this pest, yet give good yields.
HORTICULTURE
One of the most valuable projects now being studied by the Horti-cultural
Division concerns itself with the value of the pecan as a com-mercial
crop in North Carolina. It has been found that the experi-mental
orchards in the Coastal Plain section of the State produce their
first commercial crops at eight years of age, and the results secured
indicate that in so far as it is planned to grow the pecans for commer-cial
purposes, the orchards should be confined entirely to the Coastal
Plains.
In the variety tests with these nuts, twenty-two of the most important
varieties have been tested for eleven years, and much valuable informa-tion
in regard to the best varieties for the State has been secured.
Most of those varieties which flourish in the Gulf Coast section are
almost worthless in North Carolina, because of the shorter growing sea-son.
Other studies in which the individual performance of the tree is
being regarded, cultural practices being studied, the cracking quality of
nuts being tested, and questions relating to working and breeding, are
all proceeding in a satisfactory manner.
At least 60 different varieties of peaches are under investigation at the
trucking branch station for the purpose of producing early maturing
varieties, earlier free-stone varieties, and varieties which are harder in
the bud and have a longer resting period. Much work also is being done
in pruning and dehorning peach trees.
The investigational work in the thermal zones, which, has been con-ducted
since 1909, was completed in 1916, and at the present time a
topographical map of parts of western North Carolina are being pre-pared
showing the valuable fruit zones on the elevation between 1,500
and 3,500 feet. This work is of great value to those people who wish to
secure land at suitable altitudes for commercial orcharding.
The Division is also doing some important work in studying the
various varieties of pomological fruits, in determining the native fruits
N. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 17
of North Carolina, in studying about 23 varieties of strawberries, in
comparing varieties of sweet potatoes, together with different methods
of storage, and in improving and storing different varieties of Irish
potatoes in the State.
The work on the experimental vineyard at' the truck branch station is
making good progress in that several of the most desirable varieties of
rotundifolia grapes have been determined, and many improved strains
bred from the existing varieties.
PLANT PATHOLOGY AND BACTERIOLOGY
The report on plant pathology and bacteriology work during the year
is necessarily condensed on account of the absence of Dr. F. A. Wolf,
who was given leave of absence to accept a commission in the medical
corps of the army.
Before leaving, however, Dr. Wolf secured considerable data on the
bacterial disease of tobacco affecting the foliage and resulting in the
formation of large decayed spots. This disease is known locally as
"tobacco wild-fire," and specimens have been collected in 19 counties
of the State. The studies made show that the disease originates in the
plant bed and is conveyed to the field at transplanting. It spreads more
rapidly at times of continued heavy rain, when accompanied by wind.
The results of the investigations with trembles or milk sickness indi-cate
that those animals affected were poisoned by eating a plant known
as the white snake-root. Considerable dat'a have been accumulated in
regard to this work, and the results published in Technical Bulletin 15,
issued in July, 1918. The disease has been known in the State for
around 150 years, but up until this time no readily acceptable explana-tion
could be given for it's cause.
The only other project of considerable importance was a study of the
bacterial blight of soybeans, which spreads rapidly in the buds during
splashing rains.
MARKETS AND RURAL ORGANIZATIONS
The investigations of the Division of Markets and Rural Organiza-tions
have been concerned, as heretofore, with problems of marketing,
rural credit', and the grading of products. Many investigations have
been made in regard to the prices received for cotton, the distribution of
North Carolina cotton, the shipping of damaged cotton, and the need
for warehouses.
In marketing livestock, a survey of the swine population and the
marketing conditions over the State has been . made, showing that 61
per cent of the hogs in the State are contained in 39 counties of the
eastern section. There are very few local markets, and for this reason
the cooperative marketing in car lots is being encouraged, in coopera-tion
with the county agents of the Extension Service.
2
18 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
The office makes a monthly survey of prices received by producers for
corn, cotton, potatoes, hogs, peanuts, soybeans, and eggs, and this is
issued each month for publication in the press and for sending to indi-vidual
farmers.
In organization work, a Mountain Growers Exchange was formed at
Waynesville in the fall of 1918 for the purpose of handling the potatoes,
apples, and other farm products for the members. This exchange has
had the effect of raising the price of potatoes in the "Waynesville section
50 cents a sack, both to the members of the exchange and t'o the non-members
in the vicinity.
The Edgecombe Cotton Exchange, which was organized in 1915, has
also been of much value during the year to the farmers in the vicinity
where it is at work.
Four new Credit Unions were organized, making 18 now in operation.
These have enjoyed a great measure of prosperity.
During the year the office has classed 47,923 bales of cotton, and has
rendered active assistance in the sale of about 12,000 bales. Due to the
fact that' the Division has informed cotton mills where they could obtain
cotton of particular grade and staple, reports secured indicate that this
service has been worth at least $150,000 in direct monetary returns to
the producers. In. fact, merchants, small buyers and local mills have
all profited by the cotton marketing and grading service as it is now
being conducted.
In addition to other work, the Division has rendered assistance in
the cooperative marketing of 10,478 barrels of early white potatoes,
1,800 sacks of lat'e white potatoes, 10,380 barrels of sweet potatoes, and
10,820 crates of strawberries, and 10 cars of corn. Farmers have been
assisted in buying 17 cars of hogs and in disposing cooperatively of 10
cars.
The Division has continued to issue its market news service, its
weekly price reports, and its regular market bulletin, all of which have
proven to be of some value in the handling of farm products. This
work has been done in cooperation with Bureau of Market's for the
United States Department of Agriculture.
DRAINAGE
Work in the Drainage Division is conducted chiefly along the same
general lines as heretofore, except that experimental maintenance work
begun in 1917 was discontinued on account of war conditions. Due to
the resignation of Mr. F. R. Baker, Mr. F. O. Bart'el was elected as
Junior Drainage Engineer.
During the year the Division has located approximately 76,200 feet
of tile on 42 farms in 23 counties; this tile drains a total area of 2,400
acres. The Division has also given assistance in the location and con-struction
of terraces to prevent hillside erosion on 20 farms. Around
181,000 feet of terraces have been laid out. This work, together with a
1ST. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 19
study of the efficiency of under drains, and the accumulation of data on
drainage canals is the principal lines of work engaged in. In addition,
however, three examinations have been made for large drainage districts
comprising the total area of 14,400 acres. Progress has also been
made in the assembling and plotting of this data in the summarizing of
the results.
PUBLICATIONS
With the exception of the Annual Report, only three publications have
been issued during the year.
Bulletin No. 238, "Harvesting Tobacco by Priming or Picking the
Leaves as Compared With Cutting the Stalks," with 11 pages, was pub-lished
in an issue of 15,000 copies.
Bulletin No. 239 was withdrawn from the press, and later issued as a
State Department Bulletin because of lack of funds in the Experiment
Station.
In the meantime, however, Bulletin No. 240, "Composite vs. One Day
Sampling of Milk for the Babcock Test," containing 8 pages, had been
printed, with a total issue of 15,000 copies.
Only one Technical Bulletin was published. This was Technical
Bulletin No. 14, "The Repair of Bone in Domestic Fowl," containing 17
pages, and printed in an issue of 3,000 copies.
In addition t'o these publications, however, the experimental work of
the Station has been kept before the public by means of articles in the
Extension Farm News, and in the daily mimeograph articles to the
press. Many multigraphed letters and circulars have been distributed,
especially during the past' year, because of the great efforts made to
increase all food and feed production as a war measure. The total
number of names in the mailing lists approximate 75,000, and these are
kept active and up to date at all times.
20 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
The reports of the heads of the several Divisions and the financial
statement follow
:
FINANCIAL REPORT
The North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station
in account with
The United States Appropriations, 1917-1918.
Dr.
Hatch Adams
Fund Fund
To receipts from the Treasurer of the United States, as
per appropriations for the fiscal year ended June 30,
1918, under acts of Congress approved March 2, 1887
(Hatch Fund), and March 16, 1906 (Adams Fund) . . .$15,000.00 $15,000.00
Cr.
Salaries $ 7,176,63
Labor Publications
Postage and stationery
Freight and express
Heat, light, water, and power
Chemicals and laboratory supplies
Seeds, plants, and sundry supplies
Fertilizers ,
Feeding stuffs 1,771.42
Tools, machinery, and appliances
Scientific apparatus and specimens
Traveling expenses
Contingent Expenses
Buildings and land
.$ $12,579.04
, 2,913.04
1,030.55
81.18
230.56 119.72
17.28 39.70.
183.25 161.50
191.06 170.42
302.52 254.85
602.66 376.98
738.87 105.44
61.50 93.18
276.29 68.62
20.00
433.74
Total $15,000.00 $15,000.00
IN". C. Agricultural Experiment Station 21
The North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station
in account with
Farm and Miscellaneous Receipts
Dr.
Receipts from other sources than the United States for the year
ending June 30, 1918 $8,087.83
Balance on hand 839.00
Total $8,926.03
Supplemental Statement.
Cr.
Salaries $ 131.67
Labor 216.35
Publications .90
Postage and stationery 23.10
Freight and express 95.83
Heat, light, water, and power 22.08
Chemicals and laboratory supplies .60
Seeds, plants, and sundry supplies 81.76
Fertilizers 4.60
Feeding stuffs 1,660.88
Library 243.12
Tools, machinery, and appliances 1,102.55
Furniture and Fixtures 378.07
Livestock ...
.
1,950.90
Traveling expenses 106.60
Contingent expenses 5.90
Buildings and land 1,284.42
Balance 1,616.70
$8,926.03
We, the undersigned, duly appointed auditors of the corporation, do hereby
certify that we have examined the books and accouns of the North Carolina
Experiment Station for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1918; that we have
found the same well kept and classified as above, and that the receipts for
the year from the Treasury of the United States are shown to have been
$30,000, and the corresponding disbursements $30,000, for all of which proper
vouchers are on file and have been by us examined and found correct, thus
leaving nothing.
And we further certify that the expenditures have been solely for the pur-poses
set forth in the acts of Congress, approved March 2, 1887, and March 16,
1906.
(Signed) W. H. Ragan,
W. B. Cooper,
T. T. Thorne,
Auditors.
(seal)
Attest: A. F. Bowen, Custodian.
REPORT OF THE DIVISION OF AGRONOMY
To the Director:
The main lines of work, as indicated in previous reports, have been
along lines of mapping the soils of the State; of placing experimental
work with different crops and fertilizers on the leading types of soil ; of
determining the best varieties of different crops for different conditions
;
and of selecting and breeding better strains of the leading crops for
North Carolina conditions. In all of these different lines there has been
considerable progress.
MAPPING AND ANALYZING THE SOILS
Under this project comes the soil survey, in which it is planned to map
all the soils occurring in the State into different groups or classes
according to the main distinguishing characteristics they may possess.
Up to this time, something like one-half of the soils in the State have
been mapped. During the past year, surveys of Bertie, Wilkes, Orange,
Hoke, and Caldwell counties have been completed. At the present time,
a party is working in Vance, and another member of the Division is
making a base map of Nash County for the county commissioners.
In this soil survey work, after the mapping of each county has been
finished, the map is issued showing the exact boundary of the different
types of soil occurring in the area. The report attached includes such
information as has been carefully collected by the field men with refer-ence
to the characteristics of the different crops. This work is basic to
the systematic field work that is being conducted both in soil fertility
studies and crop adaptation experiments. It would not be possible to
carry on these latter lines of work most intelligently and effectively were
they not planned with reference to soil types.
The soil survey parties, before leaving an area, after the map of the
county has been completed, draw samples of soil from each type occur-ring
in the area, sending these samples to the laboratory for analyses.
These, when completed, show potentially what are the main plant-food
reserves of the soils in the area which has been surveyed. It does not nec-cessarily
follow, however, that the chemical analyses of the soils are a
sufficient guide in determining what are the immediate plant-food re-quirements
of the soils for profitable crop production. As a matter of
fact, the only certain guide to this information is secured by growing
plants upon the different soils. The chemical analyses, however, are
valuable in making safest deductions from field experiments with crops
using different fertilizing materials.
For instance, if the chemical analyses of a soil show it to be well sup-plied
with potash for the growth of ordinary crops for many years, yet
the results show this particular soil to be in need of this constituent, then
the agronomic question is not so much the supplying of potash, in the
N". C. Agricultural Experiment Station 23
long run, but the making of the soil conditions so as to favor bringing
into form the store of potash that is present in a form or forms that the
plant cannot' secure at the present time. Again, if the crops show a soil
to be not greatly benefited by a constituent which it contains in very
limited amounts, as is the case with phosphoric acid with many of the
soils in eastern North Carolina, then it can be readily seen that it will
only be a very short time until all of the phosphoric acid would be used
up and that the analyses of the soils help greatly in making safe and
sound the deductions from the field results.
soil fertility experiments
As indicated above, after the mapping of the soils has been finished,
the next problem is that of determining the plant-food needs of the
different soils for the economic growing of different crops suitable for
growth in the area. The safest way generally t'o determine these needs
is by means of carefully conducted field experiments. At the present
time, the Division is carrying on a large amount of this kind of work
in different parts of the State. The results of these experiments on any
particular kind of soil in any locality will generally have wide adapta-tion
to the same type occurring in the same county, as ivell as when
found in another section of the St'ate; but they may or may not have
value to those farmers whose farms are located on an entirely different
kind of soil from that of the particular type on which the experiments
were conducted, even when the farms are located in close proximity to
the experiments.
In our experimental work, there are many striking illustrations of this
fact. For instance with the Iredell Loam type of soil occurring in
Mecklenburg County, it has been found in carefully conducted field
trials with this particular type that it is not benefited by applications of
phosphoric acid while the Cecil series of soils which is the predominat-ing
type in that county have shown that phosphoric acid is the limiting
constituent in crop yields, and that ordinarily where the most profitable
returns are t'o be secured, materials carrying this constituent in an avail-able
form must be applied to the soil.
The plan followed in this work heretofore is that after field experi-ments
have been continued for a suificient length of time to give results
that can be depended upon, they have been brought together and pub-lished
with a general summary. Later reports have been published for
the three main soil provinces of the State giving a description and
analyses of the soils occurring in each and pointing out as well the main
plant-food deficiencies of the main types growing in each province.
These lat'er publications are to be followed by a series of publications
giving specific information with reference to the needs of the soils, how
best to apply this information, and what crops and crop rotations are
best to use in the different counties. Up t'o the present time, four such
reports have been issued, they being for the counties of Mecklenburg,
24 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
Gaston, Cabarrus, and Union. It is planned to issue this series of
reports as rapidly as they can be prepared and funds can be made avail-able
for their publication. It' is believed that these county reports will
be quite valuable, not only to the different agencies working with the
farmers, but also be of direct value in the hands of farmers themselves.
They should be very useful, too, for teachers of agriculture and others
who are engaged in t'he building up of a better and more wholesome life
in the county.
The main soil fertility investigations .being conducted by the Division
are at the Buncombe, Iredell, Central, Granville, Edgecombe, Washing-ton,
and Pender Branch Station farms. Supplementing these main
investigations are experiments on different types of soil in different
parts of the State. These latter are being carried out on the land of
farmers who have been kind enough to set aside a small section of their
farm for this work. These latter experiments are located with reference
to the types of soil that are most important in the section. An effort is
always made to obtain t'he cooperation of farmers who are specially
interested and the soil of whose farms is of the particular type on which
it has been previously decided that work should be conducted.
At the present time, this latter work is being carried on as follows
:
In the Mountains—
On Toxaway silty loam at Andrews
On Porter's loam at Swannanoa
On Toxaway loam at Swannanoa
Piedmont Section—
On Cecil clay loam at Statesville
On Cecil sandy loam at' Gastonia
On Cecil sand}?- loam at Winston
On Mecklenburg clay loam at Concord
On Durham sandy loam at Oxford
On Durham sandy loam at Franklinton
On Durham sandy loam at Louisburg
Coastal Plain Section—
On Norfolk fine sandy loam at Rocky Mount
On Portsmouth fine sandy loam at Pantego
On Portsmouth fine sandy loam at' Willard
In addition to this, similar work is to be conducted on the farms
connected with eleven Farm-Life Schools of the State. This latter
work is not only valuable in determining the plant-food needed for the
type of soil on which the Farm-Life Schools are located, but, it also
places in the hands of the teacher of agriculture in these schools vitaliz-ing
materials to use with his classes in agriculture.
N. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 25
At the Washington Branch Station Farm.—The main efforts at this
farm have been directed during the year to a, study of the effects of dif-ferent
fertilizer combinations with and without the use of lime. At' the
present time, the addition of phosphoric acid and potash has shown but
little if any benefit when used alone or in combination. The use of lime
has been shown t'o be the chief need at present. Amounts up to two or
three tons per acre have resulted in increased crop yields.
At this farm, experiments have been started to determine the relative
value of hydrated lime, ground limestone, and marl for use on the soil.
The quantities used have been equivalent to one, two, three, and four
tons of calcium carbonate per acre, once every three years. As only one
year's results have thus far been secured, it is not possible to say at this
time what will be the conclusions from them. Indications thus far are
that more than one ton of lime per acre is needed. Analyses of these
and other "black land" soils in the Wenona section have shown, too, that
much more lime is required than one ton to neutralize or destroy the
sourness contained in the seven inches of surface soil.
At the Pender Farm.—Fertilizer experiments are being conducted at
this farm with corn, oats and vetch, and cotton, in a three-year rotation,
with a cover crop always on the land. It has been found that nitrogen
is the constituent needed most by the soil at the present time. Phos-phoric
acid and nitrogen used in combination have given more increase
in yield of crops than has potash and nitrogen. The use of lime has
shown up well, especially has this been the case with soybeans. Thus
far in the study of the relative value of finely ground phosphate rock,
b>asic slag and acid phosphate as carriers of phosphoric acid, the acid
phosphate has, up to this time, shown to advantage.
At the Edgecombe Farm.—At this farm the main part of the soil
fertility studies are in Fields A, B, and C, where a three-year rotation
consisting of corn, cotton, and peanuts, with leguminous cover crops
every year is used. These experiments, among many other things, have
shown nitrogen and potash to be the two constituents of first importance
to be applied for the most profitable growth of crops. It should be stated,
nowever, that with the use of larger amounts of nitrogen and potash
than is commonly applied the use of phosphoric acid begins to show up.
Results on the whole at this farm indicate that eastern farmers are not
always using the best combinations and the best amounts of fertilizer
mixtures per acre. For the best paying results, more nitrogen and pot-ash
should be used than is ordinarily applied, while the phosphoric acid
in many cases may be slightly reduced.
In studies that have been carried on at this farm t'o determine the
relative value of different carriers of nitrogen for different crops, nitrate
of soda has been shown to be the most effective, with sulphate of ammo-nia
showing up second in efficiency.
At the Iredell Farm.—As indicated in previous reports, the experi-ments
at this farm have shown that the soils are mainly deficient in
26 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
nitrogen and phosphoric acid. Lime is giving very good results and the
yields of crops indicate that where more organic matter is incorporated
with the soil than is ordinarily contained by the soils in the section, in
which the farm is located, that still better results may be anticipated.
In the rotation experiments which are in operation, the results show
marked increase of the non-leguminous crops by the addition of legumes
to the rotation.
In the study of the value of different forms of nitrogen carriers, the
mineral sources—nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia—have shown
to have greater efficiency than the organic sources. There does not seeni
t'o be any marked residual effect resulting where organic sources were
used.
In the regular fertilizer experiments, finely ground phosphate rock
has not shown to be as economical as a carrier of phosphoric acid, as
acid phosphate, notwithstanding the fact that the price of acid phos-phate
has materially advanced during the past' year or two.
At the Buncombe Farm.—In the regular fertilizer experiments at this
farm, both on uplands and bottomland soils, it has been shown that phos-phoric
acid, nitrogen, and lime are the main controlling factors for bet-ter
crop yields.
In the finely ground phosphate rock tests on bottom soils where the
comparison of this is made with acid phosphate with lime, with stable
manure, and with legumes, the acid phosphate is giving greater and
more profitable crop yields. The use of lime is beginning to show up
on the soils on this farm to much better advantage generally than it
did during the first few years of the tests, particularly is this so with the
bottom soils.
At the Central Farm.—Nitrogen and phosphoric acid have been
shown to be the main controlling constituents in crop production on the
soil of this farm. Lime is essential for success in the growth of legumes
and its use is necessary in order to increase the organic matter condition
in the soils of this section by the growth of such crops as cowpeas, soy-beans,
and suitable clovers. The experiments here have demonstrated
fully that with a short rotation of cotton and corn with little or no cover
crops, it is not possible to build up the producing power of the soil.
During the year, the experiments have been slightly adjusted for the
purpose of studying what effects the different fertilizer combinations
will have when at least one good cover crop is turned into the soil each
year. This information secured from year to year compared with that
which has been secured from the same plots with practically no cover
crop, should afford very valuable information with reference to the value
of legumes in the rotation. The tests in this connection that all of the
different fertilizer combinations used hereafter are to be run with and
without lime as well to determine the effect of turning under of a good
cover crop annually.
At the Granville Farm.—In the study of the value of different sources
of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash, and combinations of these for
!N\ C. Agricultural Experiment Station 27
tobacco, results thus far secured indicate that the organic sources of
nitrogen are best. Dried blood is probably best with cottonseed meal
next of the more common nitrogenous carriers. When mixed with
proper proportions of phosphoric acid and potash, sulphate of potash
produces a better quality of tobacco than does muriate of potash. The
muriate, however, seems to make a larger leaf, or one with a larger
spread. Acid phosphate has given better results as a carrier of phos-phoric
acid for tobacco than has either bone meal or basic slag.
In the study of the best proportions of potash to use for tobacco, where
the quantity used ranged from 12 to 80 pounds per acre both from sul-phate
and muriate of potash, the results thus far secured show that even
a small amount' as 12 pounds of potash to the acre gives a considerable
increase in the yield and improvement in quality. The quality and
yield of the tobacco both improve rapidly as the quantity of potash is
increased to 50 to 70 pounds per acre. There was a slight improve-ment
when the quantity was increased above 60 pounds, but' there was
not so much difference as was observed in increasing the amount up to
60 pounds per acre.
The field experiments in the study of the value of tobacco stems and
stalks for fertilizing tobacco have indicated that good tobacco can be
grown by the use of these, when they are not used at a rate heavier than
2,500 pounds per acre, supplemented with a little phosphoric acid and
potash, if native or bright tobacco stems are used; and by phosphoric
acid and nitrogen when burley stems and stalks are applied. Good
results, too, have been obtained by the use of stable manure and wood
ashes with 200 to 300 pounds of acid phosphate per acre.
At the Reidsville Farm.—Tobacco experiments have been conducted
on this farm to determine the best and most profitable combinations and
amounts of fertilizers to be used per acre. These experiments have been
carried on for a number of years. They have shown the profitableness
of liberal applications of fertilizers of the right kind for this crop.
Generally, it has been found that a complete fertilizer should be used,
that is, one containing phosphoric acid, ammonia, and potash. These
materials are important in about the order given. On the thin "light"
soils the relative need for potash is greater than on the stiffer tobacco
soils. In respect' to ammonia, the requirements are more variable, they
depending upon how the soil has been treated in the years immediately
preceding the growth of tobacco, but the lighter soils generally need
more ammonia than do the stiffer soils to give best returns. Averaging
the experiment's in an approximate way for practical purposes, it is
recommended that for thin white land 800 to 1,000 pounds per acre of a
fertilizer containing 8 per cent available phosphoric acid, 4 per cent of
ammonia and 3 per cent of potash be sued. On the stiffer, mulatto type
of soils, 600 to 800 pounds of 8-3-3 or even 8-2-2 may be expected to
give good results under average conditions. But even on these stiffer
28 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
soils, it is probable that more ammonia would in most cases be found
profitable.
In the study of the residual effect of fertilizers on small grains, gen-erally
wheat and then grass following after tobacco with no additional
fertilizer, the residual effect of phosphates was dominant and very
important; or, stating it negatively, where acid phosphate was not
used but little residual effect was noticeable in the growth of the crop,
no matter how much potash or ammonia had been applied to the pre-vious
crop of tobacco. However, on every plot where phosphate was
applied the increase in yield was striking and lasted throughout the
four-year course of the rotation. Even when used with phosphate, the
residual effect of materials carrying ammonia was not generally impor-tant'
for more than one year. The use of potash alone or combined with
ammonia only had almost no residual effect. The results of these
experiments indicate that phosphoric acid is of fundamental importance
in building up the fertility of these soils.
NEW WORK AT THE FARMS
A new experiment has been started at' the Pender Farm to study the
relative value of soft phosphate rock as compared with acid phosphate
and basic slag as a carrier of phosphoric acid. This same experiment
is being repeated at the Buncombe Farm. At the Edgecombe Farm, an
experiment was put out this fall in cooperation with the Office of
Forage Crop Investigations, Washington, D. C, to test the relative
resistance to winter-killing of crimson clover seed obtained from differ-ent
sources. The data from this test should be valuable in determining
what will probably be our best sources from Avhich to secure seed of this
legume for planting purposes.
COTTON BREEDING INVESTIGATIONS
Considerable effort has been given during the year to the project
designed to study the inheritance and association of the economic quali-ties
of the cotton plants. Of 72 selected strains grown in 1917, thirty of
the most distinct were planted again during the past spring. Seed of
several of these strains, not planted this season, have been reserved for
planting next season. The strains isolated during the past' four years
are now of a uniform type and have transmitted their qualities during
the past two years. In individual strains the values for size of boll,
length of staple, per cent of lint and height of plant have fluctuated
from season to season, but the strains have held the same relation to
each other. For instance, all of the strains grew taller in 1917 than in
1918, but in both of these years the strains held their same relative posi-tion.
Although the 30 specially selected strains have been self-pol-linated
during the past five years, there has been no perceptible reduc-tion
in the vigor of the plants. During the past two years grown under
N. C. Ageicultukal Experiment Station 29
tlie same conditions, the lowest yielding strain has averaged 81.8 grams
of seed cotton per plant, while the highest yielding strain has averaged
179.6 grams per plant. Sufficient data has thus far been collected to
make publication on the main part of this project. Further work will,,
in the main, deal with the behavior of the different qualities when
strains are crossed.
COOPERATIVE STUDY OF "PLACE EFFECT*' UPON QUALITIES OF COTTON
This work is being carried on for the purpose of making a compari-son
of cotton plants from Mississippi and North Carolina-grown seed of
the same strain to see what effect the change of seed will have upon the
growth and quality of the plant. This work is being conducted in
cooperation with the Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station. The
original seed for starting the work came from a self-fertilized plant in
a uniform row of the plant-to-row breeding patch at West Raleigh in
1914. One-half of the seed from this plant was planted in Mississippi
and the other half grown at West' Raleigh. Each year following, except
in 1916, seed have been exchanged for comparison with locality grown
seed. In the North Carolina comparisons, there has been very little
difference between the earliness of plants grown from seed from the two
localities. During the past two years, the Mississippi seed have pro-duced
slightly taller stalks. The North Carolina seed have produced the
larger yields in the two comparisons made at West Raleigh.
WORK IN THE IMPROVEMENT OF CROPS AT THE EXPERIMENTAL FARMS
At the Mountain Farm.—On this farm corn is being selected to im-prove
the uniformity and yield of a strain of Biggs' Seven-ear. With
selections made during the past two years, the percentage of barren stalks
has been reduced and a much more uniform strain has been isolated.
The corn has been selected for a two-eared stalk rather than for the
larger number found on the original strain of this variety. The spe-cially
selected strain is to be compared with a few of the other best
varieties during the coming season.
At the Piedmont Farm.—On this farm selections are being made of
corn, Cotton, wheat and oats, and rye.
The strain of Weekley's Improved corn grown on the farm has been
selected by the plant-tO-row method. Last year a sufficient amount of
the highest yielding strain of this variety was turned over to the super-intendent
of the farm for planting the general crop. In the meantime
the ear-to-row work has been continued to further improve the strain.
Three years ago a portion of the seed from strain No. 29 from King's
variety of cotton selected at the Central Farm at West Raleigh was
transferred to the Piedmont Farm for increase there. This strain has
proved t'o be well adapted to this latter section. Sufficient selections
are made each year from this strain t'o grow a seed patch of one acre.
30 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
The selections are ginned on a hand gin in order to retain the purity of
the strain.
The results of the wheat improvement work that has been carried on
at this farm have been unusually encouraging. Last season, the num-ber
of selected strains of Leap's Prolific were reduced to ten. During
the fall these ten strains were planted in rod rows and were duplicated
fifty times. After each series of the ten selections, one check row was
planted t'o the best obtainable pedigreed Leap's Prolific seed. When
compared with the ordinary commercial seed of Leap's Prolific in 1917,
the improved strain yielded 8.4 bushels more per acre than the commer-cial
seed.
In the improvement work with oats, selections have been made to
increase the yield and resistance to cold of the Appier variety. Last
season the selected strains of oats were reduced to four, as these repre-sented
the highest yielding ones in the test of that' year. They were
planted again in the fall of that year to further test out their yielding
and cold-resistance powers. They were compared with the ordinary
commercial seed and with the best pedigreed strain of Appier oats. The
selected strains showed much more resistance to cold than did the best
of the commercial seeds of the same variety. When the yields were
taken the best selected strain (Wo. 12) had yielded 11.3 bushels of seed
per acre more than the check.
Six selected strains of Abruzzi rye were also compared with the best
pedigreed seed of the same variety that could be had on the market.
In order to make a fair comparison and at the same time increase the
good strains, the selected strains and checks were grown in rod rows and
were repeated fifty times. In this comparison, three of the selections
outyielded the checks. The best selected strain yielded 39 pounds per
acre more than did the best seed obtainable on the market. This
increase would be considered rather small to be counted as an increase
had not the pedigreed commercial strain lead the test the previous year.
At the Central Farm.—Field selection work is being continued with
cotton, corn, wheat, Abruzzi rye and soybeans at this farm.
In the cotton work, selections have been continued with strain Wo. 29.
A seed patch is planted from selected stalks each year. This seed patch
furnishes seed for the general crop as well as for the seed patch the fol-lowing
year. Each year the seed cotton from the seed patch is ginned
with a small gin in order to keep the seed pure. Last season an early
selection from Mexican Big Boll was brought in t'o compare with strain
Wo. 29. The strain from this latter variety because of its longer staple
and much larger boll is showing up to very good advantage.
Similar work to that done with cotton is being carried on with Cook's
Prolific corn, and a special effort' is being made to improve the yielding
power and uniformity of this strain of corn grown on this farm. Much
encouragement has thus far been secured in this direction.
In the wheat improvement work, selection Wo. 12 from Leap's Pro-lific
variety has continued to lead all others. When compared with the
N". C. Agricultural Experiment Station 31
best' pedigreed seed available in rod rows duplicated fifty times, strain
No. 12 has given slightly larger yields than any others, notwithstanding
the fact that it labored under slight disadvantages. It is interesting to
note in this connection, that the four selected strains of Leap's Prolific
grown his year yielded the same relative rank as they did in the tests of
last year.
The selected strains of Abruzzi rye were reduced during the past year
to the four very best. These were compared with the best strains of this
varity that could be had. Strain JSTo. 27, which has been the leading
one in previous years, yielded 59.9 pounds per acre more than did the
checks.
Selections are being made to increase the yield and oil content of the
Mammoth Yellow variety of soybeans, as well as for increasing the
yielding powers of the Haberlandt and Virginia varieties. Work with
the Mammoth Yellow variety was started in the fall of 1916 when seed
from 150 selected plants were saved from a field near Tarboro. The oil
content was determined from the seed of each plant and progeny rows
were grown in 1917. The original selections ranged from 15.6 to 22 per
cent of oil in the seed. The progeny rows were harvested separately and
again the seed were analyzed for oil content. The range or percentage
of oil in the seed of the progeny rows was not quite so great as that of
the parents. Only a few of the high oil parents produced progeny with
high oil content and some of the highest yielding rows were low in oil
content. Selections were made from strains which had shown the high-est
content of both parent and offspring and one of the highest yielding
rows with low oil content was retained for comparison in 1918.
Prolific strains of Haberlandt and Virginia have been isolated and
are now being increased. Both of these have proven to be greatly
superior to the original strain grown on the farm. One slightly later
and more prolific strain of Haberlandt has been isolated with the view
of increasing it for the mountain section of the State.
At the Coastal Plain Farm.—On this farm in Edgecombe County,
cotton and corn are being used for the selection work.
The work with corn, as with other crops, has been handicapped on
account of the lack of a proper place to store and handle the selections as
is afforded at the Mountain and Piedmont farms.
The Mexican Big Boll cotton on this farm has been selected to increase
the yeilding power, earliness and uniformity of the plants. A strain,
isolated two years ago, has been increased so as to furnish enough seed
for planting the entire general crop this past season. Other selections
are being made in order to further improve this strain.
At the Granville Farm.—In the study of varieties of tobacco on this
farm, so far there has not been very decided differences in the yield in a
number of the so-called varieties that have been tested. All of them seem
to be more or less closely related to the Orinoco type. There has been,
however, a considerable difference between the poorer varieties and the
32 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
best' ones, the latter averaging from 100 to 200 pounds per acre more
than the former. The Adcock variety is one of the best for wrappers,
but for priming the Warne gives as good results as the Adcock and per-haps
is a slightly heavier yielder. The former grows with shorter inter-nodes
than does the Adcock. When tobacco is harvested by cutting the
main objection to the Warne type is that it does not ripen up close tc*
the stalk, consequently there are a good many green butts.
RESULTS OF TESTS WITH VARIETIES OF FIELD CROPS
During the past year in the variety tests on the different farms the
number of varieties studied have been reduced to those which have pre-viously
shown up to have superior value and t'o those that would appear
to possess these qualities.
Among the new varieties tests during the year were Rosen rye, Liberty
cotton and Jones' Climax wheat. Rosen rye, which has been extensively
advertised as better than Abruzzi rye, has generally proven too late for
Piedmont and eastern North Carolina conditions. It has not been found
to furnish as much early grazing as does the Abruzzi rye and does not
make sufficiently early growth for turning under early in the spring. In
the mountain section, it produces a larger quantity of seed, and appears
to have considerable promise for the production of seed in this section of
the State.
The Liberty variety of cotton has a very small boll, produces a medium
yield,- and is unusually late for the size of its boll. The trials this year
would not' justify us in recommending this variety for growth under
North Carolina conditions.
The tests of Jones' Climax wheat at Statesville and at West Raleigh
did not show this variety as specially adapted for these sections.
At the Mountain Farm.—During the past season varieties of corn,
cowpeas, soybeans, wheat, spring oats, and rye were tested at this farm.
Below are given a list of the varieties of these that have shown up, on
an average, to best advantages for planting under the conditions as rep-resented
by this farm
:
Corn
First Generation Cross No. 182 Parker's Prolific
Southern Beauty Latham's Double
Weekley's Improved
Wheat
Leap's Prolific Fulcaster
Fultz
Appier
Spring Oats
Fulghum
Red Rust Proof Burt
Virginia Turf
Soybeans
Haberlandt Medium Yellow
Austin Wilson Black
Virginia Black Eyebrow
1ST. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 33
Cowpeas
Taylor
Early Red
Monetta
Groit
At the Piedmont Farm.—On this farm the variety tests of corn, soy-beans,
cowpeas, wheat, and oats have shown the following to be the
leading varieties
:
Corn
Southern Beauty Jarvis' Golden Prolific
Biggs' Seven Ear Grampian (Goodman's Prolific)
First Generation Cross No. 182 Cocke's Prolific
Soybeans
Tarheel Black
Virginia
Cowpeas
Black
Mammoth Yellow
Haberlandt
Groit
Early Red
Purple Straw
Leap's Prolific
Appier
Red Rust Proof
Virginia Turf
Two-crop Clay
Wheat
Oats
Fultz
Fulcaster
Fulghum
Burt
At the Central Farm,—The testing on this farm has shown the follow-ing
to be the most satisfactory yielders of varieties thus far tested
:
Corn
Biggs' Seven-ear
Southern Beauty
Parker's Prolific
Mammoth Yellow
Mammoth Brown
Tarheel Black
Groit
Whippoorwill
New Era
Purple Straw
Leap's Prolific
Abruzzi
First Generation Cross No. 182
Jarvis' Golden
Soybeans
Tokyo
Virginia
Haberlandt
Cowpeas
Wheat
Rye
Red Ripper
Early Red
Whippoorwill X New Era
Fultz
Fulcaster
Common
At the Coastal Plain Farm.—As a result of several years testing on
the farm located in Edgecombe County, it has been found that the fol-lowing
are the leading varieties of corn, soybeans, and cowpeas for that
section of the State :
Corn
Biggs' Seven-Ear Jarvis' Golden Prolific
Latham's Double Williamson
Gerrick's Prolific
3
34 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
Soybeans
Mammoth Yellow Wilson Black
Virginia Haberlandt
Tarheel Black
Cowpeas
Brabham Black
Groit Monetta
Early Red Whippoorwill
At the Tobacco Farm.—In the test' of seventeen varieties of corn dur-ing
four years on this farm in Granville, the following is about the
order they have shown up to be as yielders of shelled corn per acre
:
Biggs' Seven-ear Cocke's Prolific
Deaton's Two-ear Eureka
Latham's Double
At the Black Land Farm.—As a result of three years tests with corn
in which twenty-three varieties have been grown, the following have
shown up to be the leading ones at this farm in about the following
order
:
Latham's Double Tom Green
Horse-Tooth Wannamaker
At the Pender Farm.—As a result of two years tests, in which eight
varieties of soybeans and cowpeas each have been tested, the following
have shown up, in about' the order given, to be the most promising ones
for that section of the State
:
Soybeans
Mammoth Yellow Wilson Black
Virginia Tarheel Black
Cowpeas
Groit Two Crop Clay
Whippoorwill Early Red
MISCELLANEOUS TESTS WITH TOBACCO
A study has been made at the Granville Farm to determine if by more
intensive fertilization and closer planting the yield of tobacco can be
increased without' injuring its quality. The evidence so far from these
experiments seems to be conclusive that in a great many sections of the
old tobacco belt, growers do not plant enough tobacco on the land. Five
thousand to 5,500 plants seem to be about' the right number for best
results, while a great many farmers do not plant more than 3,500 to
4,000 per acre.
In the study of the relative value of priming and cutting tobacco at
the Granville Farm it has been found that a gain of 240 pounds per
acre was obtained by priming the leaves instead of cutting the stalks,
which is commonly practiced. This increase has been equalled in value
to more than $49.00 per acre. It is believed that the results of this ex-
!N\ C. Agricultural Experiment Station 35
periment would be of value to the old tobacco belt, particularly as the
new tobacco belt farmers all prime their tobacco, anyway.
It has been brought out in the fertilizer experiments conducted at
Reidsville that by increasing the ammonia content' of the fertilizers used,
there has been observed a great susceptibility to leaf spot and other dis-eases
effecting the tissues, such as rot and wild fire. Potash appears to
increase the resistance of the tissues to these diseases and makes a
heavier bodied leaf.
Respectfully submitted,
C. B. Williams,
Chief Division of Agronomy.
REPORT OF THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY
To the Director:
The greater part of the work of this Division during the year has
been the compilation of the results of previous years. Some very inter-esting
and satisfactory results have been obtained with the assistance of
Drs. Williams, Miller, and Dobbins, and Mr. Fetzer, of the staff of the
Chemistry Department of the College, who began work with the Station
on March 1st.
Four articles have already been published for the year, namely
:
"Methods for Approximating the Relative Toxicity of Cottonseed
Products" Journal of Biological Chemistry, October, 1917. F. E.
Carruth.
"Iron as an Antidote to Cottonseed Meal Injury," Journal of Bio-logical
Chemistry, November, 1917. W. A. Withers and F. E. Car-ruth.
"Gossypol the Toxic Substance in Cottonseed," Journal of Agricul-tural
Research, January 14, 1918. W. A. Withers and F. E. Car-ruth.
"Contributions to the Chemistry of Gossypol," Journal of the
American Chemical Society, April, 1918. F. E. Carruth.
There is in manuscript form, ready to submit for publication,
another article to be entitled "Comparative Toxicity of Cottonseed
Products," Journal of Agricultural Research, September 2, 1918.
W. A. Withers and F. E. Carruth.
A brief summary of the principal conclusions of these articles is
shown as follows
:
(1) We have devised a method for making a qualitative test of
gossypol.
(2) "We have devised a method for determining quantitatively the
amount of gossypol in cottonseed meal, including the unchanged gossypol
and the gossypol which has become fixed.
(3) Iron salts, although unable to prevent cottonseed meal injury,
was shown to have a beneficial effect in the way of enabling animals to
eat larger quantities of meal, and in many cases death has been post-poned
or averted.
(4) This control to some extent by iron salts of the toxic factor indi-cates
that there is little foundation for the theory of others that cotton-seed
meal injury is due to lack of vitamines or mineral matter.
(5) Further evidence in support of our previous conclusions that
gossypol is the toxic substance in cottonseed is found in the fact that
a. Raw kernels are harmful to rats, and that the harmful sub-stance
is removed by ether, giving a toxic extract.
b. Gossypol itself has been found toxic to pigs.
c. The residue left after extraction of the kernels with ether is
nontoxic.
"N. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 37
(6) We have found that cooking the kernels renders them much more
toxic on account of the diminution of the amount of gossypol and of its
change to a much more difficult soluble form.
(7) We have found a considerable variation in variaus animals with
reference to the toxic effect of cottonseed products, the rats and fowls
being able to withstand very much larger relative amounts of cotton-seed
meal for longer periods. Pigs and rabbits are very susceptible.
(8) We have been unable in the case of pigs to overcome the toxic
effect of cottonseed meal by adding large amounts of vitamines and
minerals.
RESULTS SECURED
With the assistance of Dr. Williams, Dr. Miller, Dr. Dobbins, and Mr.
Fetzer, we have obtained, among others, the following results
:
(1) We have collected samples of cottonseed meal from various mills
in the State and found considerable variation in the amount of gossypol,
in the amount of D gossypol and in the sum of these two substances.
(2) It appears to us that a considerable variation in this substance is
due to the method of manufacturers, but it appears to us also that there
must be a difference in the seeds as well.
(3) Our experiments indicate the possibility of producing a meal for
commercial purposes of very much less toxicity than the meal usually
found on the market. This toxicity may be reduced so low as to be
inappreciable. We should like to make further tests along this line with
animals.
(4) We have made further study of the difficultly soluble gossypol in
cottonseed meal and we have indications that the main change in the
gossypol is due to its union with the proteid matter of the meal and its
greater insolubility on this account.
(5) Some progress has been made in the knowledge of the chemistry
of gossypol.
I feel considerable, and I hope not improper, pride in presenting a
summary of this work. We feel satisfied that gossypol is the toxic sub-stance
in cotton seed, and that its removal will render cottonseed products
nontoxic. We think that from the scientific standpoint this is a con-siderable
achievement. From a practical standpoint we have indica-tions
as to the practicability of a method for the removal to a large
extent of gossypol, thus rendering it a safe protein feed.
We cannot accept the vit'amine theory of Rommel and Vedder, of the
United States Department of Agriculture, or the conclusions of Misses
Richardson and Green, of Texas, and we are of the opinion that Osborne
and Mendel, of Yale, are in error in some of their conclusions. We think
that our work will stand and it's standing contrary to the conclusions of
these excellent and experienced workers is, in our opinion, quite an
.achievement. Respectfully submitted,
W. A. Withers,
Chemist, Experiment Station.
REPORT OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY DIVISION
To the Director:
Heretofore I have, in my Annual Report', reviewed in more or less
detail the outstanding phases of animal industry work. This year,
however, I intend to give only mere statements of projects. If you
desire a full report of any particular phase, it will be little trouble for
me to place it in your hands, upon request, as the greater part of the
work is summarized up to date.
BEEF CATTLE AND SHEEP
R. S. Curtis, in Charge
Assisted by Earl Hostetler, F. T. Peden, J. W. Sloss, J. B. Peery, George
Evans, and W. R. Radford
Experimental Work:
1. The Relative Value of Velvet Bean and Cottonseed Meal as a Peed for
Fattening Beef Cattle. (Central Experimental Farm.)
2. The Relative Value of Soybean and Cottonseed Meal for Fattening Beef
Cattle. (Central Experimental Farm.)
3. An Investigation to Determine Whether or Not Cottonseed Meal Influ-ences
Unfavorable Breeding Qualities of Animals. (Central Experimental
Farm.)
4. The Relative Value of Peanut and Cottonseed Meal for Fattening Beef
Cattle. (Edgecombe Test Farm.)
5. Determining the Cost of Wintering Feeders and Effect of Different
Methods of Wintering Upon the Subsequent Gains Upon Pasture. (Iredell
Test Farm.)
6. Determining the Cost of Wintering Stockers and Feeders Under Differ-ent
Methods and the Effect Upon the Cattle Throughout the Subsequent
Summer Period. (T. L. Gwyn Farm, Haywood County.)
7. Determining the Best Method of Wintering Breeding Cows and Growing
Mature Calves for Breeding Purposes. (Cotton Valley Farm, Tarboro.)
8. Studies in Milk Sickness or Trembles. (Central Experimental Farm
and Iredell Test Farm.)
9. Determining the Effect of Heavy Rations of Cottonseed Meal on the
Health and Reproductive Abilities of Breeding Ewes. (Central Experimental
Farm.)
10. Determining the Cost and Best Methods of Feeding Breeding Ewes
During Both Winter and Summer. (Iredell Test Farm.)
11. Determining the Best Methods of Growing and Feeding Sheep in the
Mountains of North Carolina Both Winter and Summer Seasons. Spruce
Pine Farm.)
DAIRY EXPERIMENTAL WORK
Stanley Combs, in Charge
On March 18, 1918, Mr. W. H. Eaton, who had charge of the Dairy
Experimental Work for about three years, resigned to go to Alabama
to accept a more lucrative position. Mr. Stanley Combs, who, up to that
time, had been associated with the Dairy Field Office, was appointed to
fill this vacancy.
Since Mr. Combs assumed the direction of the Dairy Experimental
Work he has devoted the most of his time to attending to the business
!N". C. Agricultural Experiment Station 39
end of the Pender dairy herd, trying to inject better care and business
principles into it's management. He has succeeded very well in
doing this, too, as the herd is now more than paying its way. Our
object, of course, is not to make money out of the Pender dairy herd, but
it is there for investigational purposes. However, we do expect it to
pay its way and secure valuable investigational results in addition. The
herd is being built up to a 30-cow dairy. At the present time there are
altogether 44 animals in the herd, many of them being calves and other
young stuff.
The investigational projects under way at the present time are
:
1. To Determine the Relative Value of Cottonseed Meal, Soybean Meal, and
Velvet Bean Meal for Raising Dairy Calves. (Pender Test Farm.)
2. Determining the Cost of Raising Dairy Heifer Calves. (Pender Test
Farm.)
3. Determining the Cost of Milk Production. (Greensboro Neighborhood.
This work is now closed and the results are being summarized.)
4. Determining Whether It is Possible to Remove the Onion Flavor From
Milk and Butter. (Pender Test Farm and Central Experimental Farm.)
5. The Effect of Feeding a High Ration of Cottonseed Meal Upon the
Breeding Quality of Dairy Animals. (Central Experimental Farm.)
6. Just as soon as Mr. Combs gets a good grasp of the business ends of the
Pender dairy herd, he will launch into investigational problems connected
with feeding milking cows.
POULTRY EXPERIMENTAL WORK
Dr. B. F. Kaupp, in Charge.
Assisted by J. E. Ivey
1. Pathological Studies of Roup, Bone Diseases, Limberneck, Diseases of
the Oviduct and Ovary, Abdominal Diseases, Tumors, etc. (Central Experi-mental
Farm.)
2. Anatomy, Physiology and Histology of the Domestic Fowl. (Central
Experimental Farm.)
Dr. Kaupp has recently written a book on this question
which is a contribution to scientific literature. The work
was all done in his laboratory.
3. Mineral Requirements of Growing Chicks. (Central Experimental
Farm.)
4. The Value of Velvet Bean Meal for Feeding Poultry. (Central Experi-mental
Farm.)
5. The Value of Peanut Meal as a Feed for Poultry. (Edgecombe Test
Farm.
)
6. Breeding for Egg Production. (Central Experimental Farm.)
7. Dry Lot Feeding of Growing Chickens Against Range Conditions. (Ire-dell
Test Farm.)
8. Physical Measurements Correlated With Egg Production. (Central
Experimental Farm.)
9. Hen Culling Records Based on Physical Indications. (Central Experi-mental
Farm.)
10. Buttermilk Compared With Meat Meal in a Ration for Poultry. (Ire-dell
Test Farm.)
11. Experiments to Determine the Best Method of Shipping and Packing
Eggs. (Central Experimental Farm.)
12. Determining the Place of Cottonseed Meal in a Ration for Hens.
(Central Experimental Farm.)
40 Forty-fikst Annual Report, 1918
13. Fattening and Shipping Broilers and Fowls. (Central Experimental
Farm.)
14. Experiments to Determine Factors Which Control Fertility in Fowls.
(Central Experimental Farm.)
15. Factors Which Determine Chick Mortality. (Central Experimental
Farm.)
16. A Study of the Distribution of Blackhead in Turkeys. (Central
Experimental Farm.)
17. The Value of Buttermilk Cheese and Buttermilk as a Feed for Raising
Young Chicks. (Central Experimental Farm.)
18. Studies in Gathering, Curing, and Shipping Feathers. (Central
Experimental Farm.)
19. Studies in Protein Requirements of Laying Hens and Growing Chicks.
(Central Experimental Farm.)
20. Mendelian Studies in Breeding White Leghorns, Barred Rocks, and
Rhode Island Reds. (Central Experimental Farm.)
SWINE EXPERIMENTAL WORK
Dan T. Gray, in Charge
Assisted by Earl Hostetler
1. To Determine the Value of Soybean Pasture and Peanut Pasture When
Fed Alone and When Fed With a Partial Ration of Corn for Fattening Hogs.
(Edgecombe Test Farm.)
2. To Determine the Value of Peanut Gleanings After the Peanuts Are
Removed for Market. (Edgecombe Test Farm and Cotton Valley Farm.)
3. To Determine the Vale of Bur Clover as a Grazing Crop for Hogs.
(Edgecombe Test Farm and Pender Test Farm.)
4. Determining the Value of Permanent Pastures for Hog Grazing.
(Edgecombe Test Farm and Pender Test Farm.)
5. To Determine the Cost of Raising Pigs to Weaning Time. (Edgecombe
Test Farm and Iredell Test Farm.)
6. To Determine at What Time Hogs Should Be Turned on to a Soybean
Pasture for Best Results. (Cotton Valley Farm.)
7. To Determine the Relative Value of Soybean and Peanut Pastures When
Fed in Conjunction With a Half Ration of Grain. (Pender Test Farm.)
8. Studies Relating to Methods of Curing Meats. (Central Experimental
Farm and Pender Test Farm.)
9. The Effect of Grazing Crops Upon the Bodies of Hogs and Determining
the Value of Various Concentrated Feeds for Hardening the Bodies of Hogs
After Being Rendered Soft. (Central Experimental Farm and Edgecombe
Test Farm and Pender Test Farm.)
10. To Determine the Value of Soybean Meal, Velvet Bean Meal, and Pea-nut
Meal in a Hog's Ration. (Central Experimental Farm and Pender Test
Farm.)
HORSE AND MULE WORK
On account of the fact that the Division has no one in charge of the
Horse and Mule Work, little is being done. Only one project is being
studied
:
1. To Determine the Place of Cottonseed Meal in a Ration for Horses and
Mules. (Edgecombe Test Farm, Pender Test Farm, and Iredell Test Farm.)
LETTERS WRITTEN AND NUMBER OF MEETINGS ATTENDED
This year the members of the Animal Industry Division have
answered 22,629 personal letters from farmers in this and other states.
~N. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 41
The following summary is a close estimate of the number of meetings
the members of this Division have attended and the number of people
met in public meetings :
Office Farmers'
Institutes
Dairy
Schools
Other
Meetings
Total
Attendance
4
192
194
5
425
28 16,500
Poultry Clubs 14,514
475
10 41 3,090
11
186
486
433
13,374
32 26,911
Totals 7 41 1,078 75,722
*Under the head of Dairy Schools .
The above statement does not include the number of people met' by the
members of the Division on personal visits upon farms ; neither does it
include the number of people met at the two largest agricultural meet-ings
of the state, namely, the Annual Live Stock Meeting and the
-Farmers' Round-up Institute at Raleigh.
Respectfully submitted,
Dan T. Gray,
Chief, Animal Industry Division.
REPOET OF THE DIVISION OF ENTOMOLOGY
To the Director:
I herewith present report upon the several project's of Investigational
Work which are being conducted by this Division, covering the year
from June 30, 1917, to June 30, 1918. In the course of discussion of the
several projects, several have been mentioned in which it is desirable
that an assistant be especially assigned, particularly as follows
:
An assistant assigned to State Insect Survey Work.
An assistant assigned to study of Insects in Relation to Health and
Comfort of Man.
INVESTIGATIONAL WORK
The Investigational projects are as follows
:
1. Pecan insects.—A study of the insects which attack the pecan,
with study of remedies for those that are seriously destructive.
2. Corn stalk-borer.—A study of the life-history, habits, generations,
etc., of this pest, with study of methods for control.
3. Potato spraying.—Tests of mixtures and times of application t'o
devise the most practicable and most profitable spraying schedule to
control potato beetle, and at same time secure highest' yield.
4. Soap and water remedy for aphids.—Tests of this simple home-made
preparation, in place of more complicated or less available mate-rials,
often recommended.
5. Insect survey.—A study of the insect life of the State, to deter-mine
the distribution within the State of injurious, beneficial, and other
insects.
6. Field studies of black corn weevil.—Observations to throw light on
methods of farm practice which may lessen weevil damage to corn,
especially in the coastal region.
7. Mosquitoes and flies.—Studies and observations of the control
work done by the Public Health Service in and near shipyards and
camps, as a basis for similar work by State or local authorities in time
of peace.
8. Cabbage dusting to control worms.—To revise knowledge pre-viously
gained on this subject, by use of newer materials and improved
equipment.
Taking up these several projects in the order listed :
1. Pecan Insects
The work on this project is done by Mr. R. W. Leiby, Assistant Ento-mologist.
While studies and observations are made in many private
orchards, the chief sources for securing data are the pecan orchards on
the Branch Station Farms in Pender and Edgecombe counties. Careful
studies have been continued upon twig girdler, case-bearer, trunk-borer,
flat-head and round-head borers, leaf-eating caterpillars, shuck-weevils,
N. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 43
nut-weevils, etc. Tests for. control of several of these have been made
during the year, while observations upon the habits and life-histories
are always valuable as indicating the exact time for applying remedies
so as to secure best protection.
2. Corn Stalk-Borer
The work on this project is chiefly by Mr. Leiby, with supplementary
work by E. Sherman, Entomologist. The chief sources of information
are the corn fields at the Pender and Edgecombe farms, more especially
the latter. Continued observations support conclusions alluded to in
previous reports, that there are two main destructive broods of this
borer, and that, consequently, lat'e planted corn is subject to much less
injury than that which is planted earlier. Other observations are in
progress to show the effect of certain simple field operations.
3. Potato Spraying.
Conducted by Mr. Leiby at the Mountain Branch Station in Bun-combe
County, supplemented in 1918 by a test in the coastal region at
New Bern.
The fifth year's operations on this project in the mountains is under
way in 1918, and, in order to emphasize the importance of pot'ato spray-ing
as a war measure, a corroborative test is being made in 1918 in the
vicinity of New Bern. We feel that the data secured in each of these
years has proven conclusively that proper spraying of Irish potatoes is
highly profitable in the mountains, and certainly, when these results are
combined into a five-years average, it should be a safe criterion to the
results that can be reasonably expected from the practice.
4. Soap and Water Remedy for Aphids
The tests under this head have been mainly by the Entomologist', and
are designed to prove the value of a simple home-made preparation in
the control of various kinds of aphids (plant-lice), instead of relying
entirely upon more complicated or less available materials that are
often recommended. These t'ests have now been made upon a number of
different kinds of plant-lice, in a number of different years, with favor-able
results.
5. Insect Survey
This work is under general care of the Entomologist, participated in
by himself and all interested persons in the Division. Under this
project our collections have grown in scope and value, and are con-stantly
used for study and comparison, and to secure material for
instruction, exhibits at fairs, farmers' institutes, special meetings, and
lectures. Our collection contains many thousands of specimens and rep-resents
probably over 2,000 species or kinds, while our records show
over 5,000 species of insects now known to be native to North Carolina.
44 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
It has not been possible to develop this project in proper proportion
to our other lines of work. I feel sure that there is ample opportunity
for the employment of one assistant, to be assigned chiefly or exclusively
to this permanent line of work, in order that our collections may increase
in usefulness.
6. Field Studies of Black Corn Weevil
Work on this project was begun a year or two ago ; the observations
being made by Mr. Leiby and Mr. Sherman, chiefly at the Black Land
Farm in Washington County. Our studies show that' early maturing
corns are exposed to more weevil damage than later maturing corns, and
that part of the weevil injury can be avoided by simple methods of
management which involve no material expense. In this, our findings
agree with those of others.
7. Mosquitoes and Flies
The sanitary work undertaken by the Public Health Service, in and
around the military camps and shipyards in the State, induced us to
begin observations on mosquitoes, for it is the wish of the Public Health
service that the work undertaken shall become a basis for State and
local work after the war emergency shall have passed. We wish to
state clearly that the actual work now under way is the work of the
Public Health Service in cooperation with local authorities, and is not
in any way under the direction of this Division. This opportunity is
merely used to observe and study, in the expect'ation that the knowledge
thus gained may be of future use. The consent and cooperation of the
authorities has been given in making observations in vicinities of the
shipyards at Wilmington, and Camp Polk at Raleigh. It is presumed
that' similar work is under way in vicinity of the camps at Charlotte
and Fayetteville.
We have observed the drainage work to lessen the breeding of mosqui-toes,
the screening of kitchens and mess-halls, sewage disposal and care
of latrines, and the burning out and burial of used food containers, these
being, in brief, the methods chiefly used to control insect's which might
spread disease. In connection with these observations, we have col-lected
adult mosquitoes in the localities, and have collected wigglers,
from which mosquitoes have been reared to maturity, t'o ascertain which
particular kinds are present.
Looking at this matter from the standpoint of the entomologist, Mr.
Leiby and others are of the opinion that there should be a trained
assistant in this Division, assigned especially to the study of insects in
relation to the health and comfort of man. It should be prepared, for
example, to cooperate with any county or city undertaking mosquito
work, to the extent of locating the chief breeding places, and ascertain-ing
the exact species of mosquitoes which are most abundant or most
important in the locality. For all mosquitoes do not spread malaria,
and malarial mosquitoes do not breed in all waters. Furthermore, the
~N. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 45
most thorough local work will not prevent an invasion by mosquitoes,
which may fly long distances with the wind. Such information, which
can only be supplied by a specialist assigned to such topics, may often
prevent lost motion, useless work, and waste of funds.
8. Cabbage Dusting to Control Worms
Under the food emergency, we thought it advisable to conduct tests
to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of dusting cabbages with
poisons to control worms. This work has been done by Mr. Leiby at the
Mountain Branch Station, with the assistance of Mr. S. C. Clapp,
Superintendent. The results were favorable, and convincing photo-graphs
were secured which can be made the basis of future advice.
Kespectfully submitted,
Franklin Sherman,
Chief Division of Entomology
EEPOET OF ENTOMOLOGIST
To the Director:
The Division of Entomology has studied a variety of insects during
the past year. These studies have been devoted principally to the life
histories, and other relations of a few typical pests. This work has
been, for the most part, foundation work, but incidentally some new
and exceedingly valuable remedies have been discovered. It is to this
latter phase of the problem that we will give most' attention in this
report.
WORK WITH GLOOMY SCALE
The gloomy scale, which is the most destructive pest of our shade
maples, has been investigated. Its life history has been completely
worked out. In the course of these investigations a small wasp has been
discovered which is very destructive to the scale, killing, at times, as
high as 98 per cent of the scale on a tree. Unfortunately this little
parasitic wasp is effected very adversely by some unknown factors, and
while it may be present in a very beneficial way one year, it may be
almost entirely absent the next year. Thus while we may learn to
appreciate our little friend, we cannot rely upon it entirely.
Our main recourse, therefore, must' be to artificial spraying. During
the course of these investigations it has been demonstrated time and
again that certain spray solutions called soluble oils are effective against
the gloomy scale, whereas certain other solutions such as the lime sul-phurs,
are not nearly so effective against this pest. Careful investiga-tions
have been instigated to determine this point, and while it is
believed that' the problem has been solved, it will require a little longer
to determine whether we have the right solution.
46 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
This instance is mentioned as it shows very clearly the painstaking
nature of most of the work carried on by this Division. "Work that may
require years before the true answer is found, but once the answer is
found it may be very far reaching in its results. Naturally in such
investigations many false clues must be followed, for disproving the
false is of as much value as proving the true. Occasionally the question
is raised why is it necessary to investigate the life-history of an insect
so carefully. The answer is that such an investigation must be made in
order to apply the proper remedy.
Again, the gloomy scale investigation will show why this is true. In
order to control this pest successfully the trees must be sprayed in the
winter after the leaves are off, and before the buds swell in the spring
The reason for this is that winter is the only season of the year that
mixtures can be applied to the trees that are strong enough to kill the
scale and yet not injure the trees. Now, because the injury caused by
this scale is not evident in the winter, but is evident in the summer, we
frequently have to answer the question as to why cannot a weaker solu-tion
be used in the summer, so as to kill the young scale. The answer
to this could be had only after several years investigations, during which
time we had to report more failures than successes, because the insect
is so small and so different to carry through its life cycle. At last, how-ever,
the answer has been found. The mother scale often lives more
than sixteen months and during at least four of these months she is
giving birth to living young. Thus the study of the life-history when it
was completed, showed us that in order to kill the young scale, we would
have to make repeated applications of weak mixtures which could be
only partially successful, whereas, one application of a strong mixture,
in the winter, will be many times more successful.
THE BEAN AND PEA WEEVILS
Some one has truly said, from insect's there is no escape. Not only do
insect pests usually commence their attacks upon the sprouting seeds in
the ground, but other successive waves of pests continue the attacks upon
the growing plants, while other pests attack the harvested crop, often
completely destroying it.
To this latter class belong a group that is generally called the bean
and pea weevils. These weevils feed upon the seeds of the bean, garden
pea, cowpea, etc. It is not unusual for these weevils to completely
destroy the beans or peas in a single season. During the last year we
have investigated many phases of this problem, and the following is a
summary of the most' important points.
These weevils are confined in their choice of food to the seeds of the
bean and pea family. The most of the weevils of this group continue
to breed in the beans or peas throughout the year, although they are
much more destructive in the warm summer months than at any other
season of the year. A few weevils in a sack in the spring will produce
"N. C. Ageicultural Experiment Station 47
enougli weevils to completely destroy the stored stock by fall, if left
undisturbed. An investigation reported elsewhere shows that more
than half a million weevils may develop in a bushel of peas in a single
season. The earlier, therefore, the beans or peas are treated, the better.
The two best methods of treating the seed is to store them in air-slacked
lime or to kill the weevils by means of heat. The first method has the
advantage that the beans or peas need no further attention. It has the
disadvantage that the lime may be somewhat troublesome, especially if
the seed are used for food or feed purposes. The treatment by heat has
the disadvantage that the beans or peas must be watched carefully and
treated again if living weevils are discovered at any time.
The amount of lime necessary to use in the first method will vary
somewhat with the number of beans or peas stored in one place. For
very small amounts, anything less than a gallon, use four times as much
air-slacked lime as seed, mix thoroughly and store in bags or boxes. For
larger amounts up to, say, two or three bushels, use the same amount of
air-slacked lime as there is beans or peas. For amounts up to, say,
twenty-five bushels, use one-half as much lime. For larger amounts
than this, place the beans or peas in a bin t'o a depth of not over two or
three feet, mix well a small amount of air-slacked lime, say, one bushel
to eight or ten or beans or peas, smooth off the top and cover with a layer
of lime half an inch to an inch thick.
The air-slacked lime will not injure the beans or peas for food, feed,
or seed purposes. When used for food or feed purposes, the lime can
be removed easily from the seed by sifting and then washing thoroughly
;
for seed purposes, the lime need not be removed, but may be sown with
the seed.
The beans or peas may be treated by either wet or dry heat. The
former is t'o be preferred if only a few are to be treated, but the latter is
much more convenient' if there are large amounts. In treating these by
the dry method, they may be stored in any fairly tight room or building
that can be heated. If there is no stove in the building, an ordinary oil
stove is convenient to use. If the room is tightly closed the temperature
can easily be raised, in the summer time, from 120 to 140 degrees. It
should not be higher than this if the beans or peas are to be used for seed
purposes. Higher temperatures will do no harm if they are t'o be used
for food purposes only. This high temperature should be maintained
for from three to four hours.
For those who prefer, the beans or peas may be treated by dipping in
hot water at about 140 degrees for fifteen to twenty minutes. Water at
140 degrees is slightly hotter than one can bear the hand in comfortably.
This treatment will not injure the beans or peas, if they are thoroughly
dried after treatment. They should then be stored in tight sacks to pre-vent
weevils gaining entrance from the out'side.
48 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
THE MELON BEETLES
The melon beetles are among the most destructive insects and they
have many interesting relations. The adults generally feed on the
leaves of plants, being especially destructive t'o the leaves of melons and
related plants. The grubs, however, feed on the roots of plants.
One kind in particular, the spotted melon beetle, is especially inter-esting
because its grub is so destructive t'o corn, being known under a
variety of names, such as bud worm and root worm. For the past three
years this Division has been investigating this insect in cooperation
with the Division of Cereal Crop Insects, Federal Bureau of Entomol-ogy.
Our chief study thus far has been one phase of this problem, the
relation between time of planting and destruction by this insect.
In these investigations we have made plantings at five different sta-tions.
The plantings have been made every two weeks and carefully
inspected every two weeks. This is necessary because a method of
planting the grain in a hill and then keeping a careful record of each
hill throughout the season has been adopted. The size of this task can
be appreciated better when it is known that each planting contains 400
hills and that as a general thing six plantings are made at each of five
places each year, and that usually each planting is inspected four times
each season. This means the careful inspection of something like
50,000 hills of corn annually and a careful tabulation of the results.
The investigations are far from being completed and at the present time
no definite conclusions can be drawn.
In this same series of investigations we have conducted some careful
experiments against the adults which feed on melons and have shown
that a careful dusting of the plants at the proper season will check the
pests effectively.
THE TOBACCO FLEA BEETLE %
The tobacco flea beetle is the worst insect pest with which the tobacco
farmer has to deal. The worst phase being that this pest attacks the
tobacco plants from the time they come up in the beds until the crop is
harvested and cured. Perhaps the most troublesome part of the prob-lem
is the fact that the tobacco farmer cannot get a stand of plants in
his beds and when the tobacco is transplanted the beetles are usually
abundant enough to kill it outright or to stunt it very badly. As one
tobacco farmer expressed it, half of his labors would be ended if he
could solve this problem.
The enormous amount that these small insects eat can hardly be
appreciated, but a series of careful experiments have shown that each
tobacco flea beetle eats more than ten times its own weight each day.
This is equivalent to an average man eating a ton of food daily or an
average cow eating five tons of hay each day.
1ST. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 49
After a careful study extending over two years it is believed that this
problem has been solved. Briefly the answer may be outlined as follows :
(1) careful dusting or spraying of the tobacco beds; (2) dipping the
plants at transplanting time; (3) destroying the suckers in the field after
the crop is harvested, and (4) destroying the hibernating quarters for
the flea beetles. A bulletin giving these points more in detail is now
ready for the press and will soon be available for the farmers of the
State.
INSECTS AFFECTING ORNAMENTAL PLANTS
The Division of Entomology has not' been unmindful of the fact
that man, to enjoy life to the utmost, must be placed in beautiful sur-roundings,
and in order to make these surroundings, or the home beau-tiful
he must necessarily use ornamental plants. Most ornamental
plant's are seriously affected by a host of insect pests, and the Division
of Entomology has been studying a number of these for the past several
years. These studies have been devoted more especially to the white
fly which attacks the privet hedge, and to the euonymous scale which
attacks the euonymous hedge. Satisfactory remedies for both these
pests have been found and it is hoped to publish these soon.
The Entomologist of the Experiment Station has been interested for a
long time in the plant hoppers, a group of insects which attack chiefly
the hay and pasturage crops, and during the past year a number of
phases of the life-histories of these insects have been investigated.
These insects are coming into more and more prominence in this State
as hay and pasture become more and more important. We are just now
starting a series of experiments on these pests in their relation to alfalfa
and other hay crops. Respectfully submitted,
Z. P. Metcalf,
Entomologist.
REPORT OF DIVISION" OF HORTICULTURE
To the Director:
I herewith submit the report of the experimental work of the Division
of Horticulture for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1918. The experi-mental
work of the Division is being continued along the lines of the
projects described in previous reports.
INVESTIGATIONS WITH PECANS ( TRUCK STATION, COASTAL STATION, AND
PIEDMONT STATION)
1. To determine the value of the pecan as a commercial 'proposition
in North Carolina.—During the winter of 1906-'07, experimental pecan
orchards, containing the most important southern varieties, were planted
on the Truck Station in Pender County ; on the Coastal Plain Station in
Edgecombe County, and on the Piedmont Station in Iredell County.
At eight years of age, the experimental orchards in the Coastal Plain
section of the State produced what might be considered their first com-mercial
crop, while up to the present the trees in the Piedmont section
have produced only a few nuts. The results so far secured indicate
strongly that, as a commercial proposition, pecan growing should be
confined entirely to the Coastal Plain.
2. Variety testing.—Twenty-two of the most important southern
varieties are included in this test, which has been carried on for eleven
years. At this time valuable recommendations regarding pecan varie-ties
for planting in the State can be made. Gratifying results are being
secured from the work, as certain varieties are showing marked adap-tability
to North Carolina conditions, while others are proving to be
undesirable. It has been found that certain varieties that are very
satisfactory in the Gulf Coast section are almost worthless here, owing
to the shorter growing season. It is evident, . even from the compara-tively
short length of time that the investigation has been conducted,
that the variety factor is of extreme importance in determining the
success or failure of a pecan orchard in this State.
3. Securing individual tree performance records.—Performance
records of the individual pecan trees in the experimental orchards at
the several stations were secured this year, as in former years. It has
been noted, as -a result of this work, that trees of the same variety,
under identical conditions, are uniformly heavy yielders, while others
are very poor producers; some producing uniformly large nuts and
others uniformly small nuts. As these individual performance records
suggest the possibility of improving and standardizing individual yields
by bud selection, work has been started along this line.
4. Cultural practices.—Investigations to determine the value of
correct cultural practices were continued this year. The value of cor-
~N. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 51
rect cultural practices, such as tillage, the use of cover crops and legu-minous
crops, is clearly shown in the increased size of trees, and in the
increased size and number of nuts produced, when compared to trees and
their products grown in sod.
5. The value of the different varieties as regards cracking quality.—
The cracking test of the different varieties is made each year. The
cracking test is a necessary adjunct to the performance record of a given
variety in determining its value in a certain section. Very often a
variety is highly satisfactory from a productive standpoint, but the
cracking test shows it to be nearly worthless from a utility viewpoint.
The cracking test shows the number of nuts per pound, and determines
the percentage of unbroken halves the variety will crack out', the per-centage
of shrunken kernels, the percentage of physiological spot, the
percentage of faulty nuts, the shape and size of the kernels, the texture,
quality, and flavor of meat', the percentage of meat and the thickness of
shell. As a result of these cracking tests conducted each year, certain
varieties that were satisfactory from a productive standpoint proved to
be totally unsuit'ed to North Carolina conditions.
6. Top-worhing methods.—Progress should be reported in the inves-tigations
concerning the top-working pecan trees and the methods em-ployed.
The investigations show that good results can be secured by
both the "patch bud" method and the "slip bark graft" method. Results
indicate that success rests as much in the selection of suitable bud and
graft wood as in the technique of the operator.
7. Pecan breeding.—The seedlings, as a result of pecan breeding
work, that were set in 1915 at the Truck Station, are making a satisfac-tory
growth. During the following year a few nuts are expected.
INVESTIGATIONS WITH PEACHES
1. Peach breeding work {Truck Branch Station).—It is the object
of this project to produce (a) earlier maturing white and yellow fleshed
varieties of peaches, (b) earlier freestone varieties of both white and
yellow fleshed peaches, (c) varieties hardier in bud, and (d) varieties
with a longer resting period.
Selection, crossing, and production of seedlings are the methods of
procedure in this project'. To provide working material for this project,
a variety orchard containing over 60 different varieties of peaches was
planted at the Truck Station during 1917. These trees have made such
a satisfactory growth that if favorable conditions prevail, active wor£
on this project can be started next spring.
2. Variety tests.—The testing of different varieties on the several
branch stations have been continued from year to year.
3.
CiDehorning"- peach trees {Piedmont Station and Coasted Plain
Station).—During this last season additional progress with the peach
"dehorning" project has been made. From the results so far secured, it
52 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
has been shown that in years when the buds are killed by cold, "dehorn-ing"
is a profitable practice in renewing old trees. It has been found
that the operation may be done relatively late in the spring with satis-factory
results.
4. Summer pruning peach trees (Piedmont Station and Coastal
Plain Station).—Progress has been made with the experiments in sum-mer
pruning "dehorned" trees. The results so far secured indicate that
careful attention should be given to summer pruning, to secure the best
shaped trees and the proper distribution of fruit buds. Further investi-gations,
relative to the amount of pruning and the time of pruning, are
being conducted.
5. Summer pruning young peach trees.—It is a debatable question
among fruit' growers in the State whether or not it is advisable to sum-mer
prune young peach trees to shape them properly. To obtain infor-mation
on this question, investigations are being conducted from year to
year.
INVESTIGATIONAL WORK. WITH THERMAL ZONES
The investigational work with thermal zones was inaugurated in a
preliminary way in 1909 at the Blantyre Test Farm by W. 1ST. Hutt, to
ascertain, if possible, the conditions underlying the phenomena of ther-mal
belts or frostless zones in relation to fruit growing. Two years of
preliminary investigation furnished such evidence of the necessity and
value of the work that' the cooperation of the United States Weather
Bureau was secured. Special recording stations were established in
various orchards on the mountains where a range in elevation from 1,000
to 4,200 feet was secured. In 1912, the recording stations were increased
in number to 15. The field work and records were completed in 1916.
Since that time, the vast amount of records collected at the different
stations are being worked over by the experts of the United States
Weather Bureau, under the direction of Professor Cox of the Chicago
Station.
A topographical map of western North Carolina has been prepared
with contour lines showing the locations of the observation stations and
the mountainous nature of the surrounding country. In order to make
this work of practical, as well as of scientific value, a map showing the
location of railroads to available fruit zones of 500 feet contours from
1,500 to 3,500 feet elevation is being prepared. This map, in addition
to that prepared by the Weather Bureau experts, will be of value Co peo-ple
in securing lands at suitable altitudes for commercial orcharding.
The results of these investigations are being prepared for publication.
VARIETY WORK IN POMOLOGY
Observations have been made on the substations, and in commercial
orchards throughout the State from year to year, on the behavior of the
better known varieties of fruits. Much time and care is taken in writing
1ST. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 53
and revising descriptions of all of the important varieties of fruits
grown in the State. These descriptions are to be used in future publi-cations,
and are being used in the office as an aid in identifying varieties
of fruit sent in from over the State.
NATIVE FRUITS OF NORTH CAROLINA
It is the purpose of this project' to determine the place of origin, the
history, and to secure descriptions of varieties of North Carolina origin.
Each year the data already secured are increased. Where opportunity
offered, the descriptions

\55
U9I8
asic slag and acid phosphate as carriers of phosphoric acid, the acid
phosphate has, up to this time, shown to advantage.
At the Edgecombe Farm.—At this farm the main part of the soil
fertility studies are in Fields A, B, and C, where a three-year rotation
consisting of corn, cotton, and peanuts, with leguminous cover crops
every year is used. These experiments, among many other things, have
shown nitrogen and potash to be the two constituents of first importance
to be applied for the most profitable growth of crops. It should be stated,
nowever, that with the use of larger amounts of nitrogen and potash
than is commonly applied the use of phosphoric acid begins to show up.
Results on the whole at this farm indicate that eastern farmers are not
always using the best combinations and the best amounts of fertilizer
mixtures per acre. For the best paying results, more nitrogen and pot-ash
should be used than is ordinarily applied, while the phosphoric acid
in many cases may be slightly reduced.
In studies that have been carried on at this farm t'o determine the
relative value of different carriers of nitrogen for different crops, nitrate
of soda has been shown to be the most effective, with sulphate of ammo-nia
showing up second in efficiency.
At the Iredell Farm.—As indicated in previous reports, the experi-ments
at this farm have shown that the soils are mainly deficient in
26 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
nitrogen and phosphoric acid. Lime is giving very good results and the
yields of crops indicate that where more organic matter is incorporated
with the soil than is ordinarily contained by the soils in the section, in
which the farm is located, that still better results may be anticipated.
In the rotation experiments which are in operation, the results show
marked increase of the non-leguminous crops by the addition of legumes
to the rotation.
In the study of the value of different forms of nitrogen carriers, the
mineral sources—nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia—have shown
to have greater efficiency than the organic sources. There does not seeni
t'o be any marked residual effect resulting where organic sources were
used.
In the regular fertilizer experiments, finely ground phosphate rock
has not shown to be as economical as a carrier of phosphoric acid, as
acid phosphate, notwithstanding the fact that the price of acid phos-phate
has materially advanced during the past' year or two.
At the Buncombe Farm.—In the regular fertilizer experiments at this
farm, both on uplands and bottomland soils, it has been shown that phos-phoric
acid, nitrogen, and lime are the main controlling factors for bet-ter
crop yields.
In the finely ground phosphate rock tests on bottom soils where the
comparison of this is made with acid phosphate with lime, with stable
manure, and with legumes, the acid phosphate is giving greater and
more profitable crop yields. The use of lime is beginning to show up
on the soils on this farm to much better advantage generally than it
did during the first few years of the tests, particularly is this so with the
bottom soils.
At the Central Farm.—Nitrogen and phosphoric acid have been
shown to be the main controlling constituents in crop production on the
soil of this farm. Lime is essential for success in the growth of legumes
and its use is necessary in order to increase the organic matter condition
in the soils of this section by the growth of such crops as cowpeas, soy-beans,
and suitable clovers. The experiments here have demonstrated
fully that with a short rotation of cotton and corn with little or no cover
crops, it is not possible to build up the producing power of the soil.
During the year, the experiments have been slightly adjusted for the
purpose of studying what effects the different fertilizer combinations
will have when at least one good cover crop is turned into the soil each
year. This information secured from year to year compared with that
which has been secured from the same plots with practically no cover
crop, should afford very valuable information with reference to the value
of legumes in the rotation. The tests in this connection that all of the
different fertilizer combinations used hereafter are to be run with and
without lime as well to determine the effect of turning under of a good
cover crop annually.
At the Granville Farm.—In the study of the value of different sources
of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash, and combinations of these for
!N\ C. Agricultural Experiment Station 27
tobacco, results thus far secured indicate that the organic sources of
nitrogen are best. Dried blood is probably best with cottonseed meal
next of the more common nitrogenous carriers. When mixed with
proper proportions of phosphoric acid and potash, sulphate of potash
produces a better quality of tobacco than does muriate of potash. The
muriate, however, seems to make a larger leaf, or one with a larger
spread. Acid phosphate has given better results as a carrier of phos-phoric
acid for tobacco than has either bone meal or basic slag.
In the study of the best proportions of potash to use for tobacco, where
the quantity used ranged from 12 to 80 pounds per acre both from sul-phate
and muriate of potash, the results thus far secured show that even
a small amount' as 12 pounds of potash to the acre gives a considerable
increase in the yield and improvement in quality. The quality and
yield of the tobacco both improve rapidly as the quantity of potash is
increased to 50 to 70 pounds per acre. There was a slight improve-ment
when the quantity was increased above 60 pounds, but' there was
not so much difference as was observed in increasing the amount up to
60 pounds per acre.
The field experiments in the study of the value of tobacco stems and
stalks for fertilizing tobacco have indicated that good tobacco can be
grown by the use of these, when they are not used at a rate heavier than
2,500 pounds per acre, supplemented with a little phosphoric acid and
potash, if native or bright tobacco stems are used; and by phosphoric
acid and nitrogen when burley stems and stalks are applied. Good
results, too, have been obtained by the use of stable manure and wood
ashes with 200 to 300 pounds of acid phosphate per acre.
At the Reidsville Farm.—Tobacco experiments have been conducted
on this farm to determine the best and most profitable combinations and
amounts of fertilizers to be used per acre. These experiments have been
carried on for a number of years. They have shown the profitableness
of liberal applications of fertilizers of the right kind for this crop.
Generally, it has been found that a complete fertilizer should be used,
that is, one containing phosphoric acid, ammonia, and potash. These
materials are important in about the order given. On the thin "light"
soils the relative need for potash is greater than on the stiffer tobacco
soils. In respect' to ammonia, the requirements are more variable, they
depending upon how the soil has been treated in the years immediately
preceding the growth of tobacco, but the lighter soils generally need
more ammonia than do the stiffer soils to give best returns. Averaging
the experiment's in an approximate way for practical purposes, it is
recommended that for thin white land 800 to 1,000 pounds per acre of a
fertilizer containing 8 per cent available phosphoric acid, 4 per cent of
ammonia and 3 per cent of potash be sued. On the stiffer, mulatto type
of soils, 600 to 800 pounds of 8-3-3 or even 8-2-2 may be expected to
give good results under average conditions. But even on these stiffer
28 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
soils, it is probable that more ammonia would in most cases be found
profitable.
In the study of the residual effect of fertilizers on small grains, gen-erally
wheat and then grass following after tobacco with no additional
fertilizer, the residual effect of phosphates was dominant and very
important; or, stating it negatively, where acid phosphate was not
used but little residual effect was noticeable in the growth of the crop,
no matter how much potash or ammonia had been applied to the pre-vious
crop of tobacco. However, on every plot where phosphate was
applied the increase in yield was striking and lasted throughout the
four-year course of the rotation. Even when used with phosphate, the
residual effect of materials carrying ammonia was not generally impor-tant'
for more than one year. The use of potash alone or combined with
ammonia only had almost no residual effect. The results of these
experiments indicate that phosphoric acid is of fundamental importance
in building up the fertility of these soils.
NEW WORK AT THE FARMS
A new experiment has been started at' the Pender Farm to study the
relative value of soft phosphate rock as compared with acid phosphate
and basic slag as a carrier of phosphoric acid. This same experiment
is being repeated at the Buncombe Farm. At the Edgecombe Farm, an
experiment was put out this fall in cooperation with the Office of
Forage Crop Investigations, Washington, D. C, to test the relative
resistance to winter-killing of crimson clover seed obtained from differ-ent
sources. The data from this test should be valuable in determining
what will probably be our best sources from Avhich to secure seed of this
legume for planting purposes.
COTTON BREEDING INVESTIGATIONS
Considerable effort has been given during the year to the project
designed to study the inheritance and association of the economic quali-ties
of the cotton plants. Of 72 selected strains grown in 1917, thirty of
the most distinct were planted again during the past spring. Seed of
several of these strains, not planted this season, have been reserved for
planting next season. The strains isolated during the past' four years
are now of a uniform type and have transmitted their qualities during
the past two years. In individual strains the values for size of boll,
length of staple, per cent of lint and height of plant have fluctuated
from season to season, but the strains have held the same relation to
each other. For instance, all of the strains grew taller in 1917 than in
1918, but in both of these years the strains held their same relative posi-tion.
Although the 30 specially selected strains have been self-pol-linated
during the past five years, there has been no perceptible reduc-tion
in the vigor of the plants. During the past two years grown under
N. C. Ageicultukal Experiment Station 29
tlie same conditions, the lowest yielding strain has averaged 81.8 grams
of seed cotton per plant, while the highest yielding strain has averaged
179.6 grams per plant. Sufficient data has thus far been collected to
make publication on the main part of this project. Further work will,,
in the main, deal with the behavior of the different qualities when
strains are crossed.
COOPERATIVE STUDY OF "PLACE EFFECT*' UPON QUALITIES OF COTTON
This work is being carried on for the purpose of making a compari-son
of cotton plants from Mississippi and North Carolina-grown seed of
the same strain to see what effect the change of seed will have upon the
growth and quality of the plant. This work is being conducted in
cooperation with the Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station. The
original seed for starting the work came from a self-fertilized plant in
a uniform row of the plant-to-row breeding patch at West Raleigh in
1914. One-half of the seed from this plant was planted in Mississippi
and the other half grown at West' Raleigh. Each year following, except
in 1916, seed have been exchanged for comparison with locality grown
seed. In the North Carolina comparisons, there has been very little
difference between the earliness of plants grown from seed from the two
localities. During the past two years, the Mississippi seed have pro-duced
slightly taller stalks. The North Carolina seed have produced the
larger yields in the two comparisons made at West Raleigh.
WORK IN THE IMPROVEMENT OF CROPS AT THE EXPERIMENTAL FARMS
At the Mountain Farm.—On this farm corn is being selected to im-prove
the uniformity and yield of a strain of Biggs' Seven-ear. With
selections made during the past two years, the percentage of barren stalks
has been reduced and a much more uniform strain has been isolated.
The corn has been selected for a two-eared stalk rather than for the
larger number found on the original strain of this variety. The spe-cially
selected strain is to be compared with a few of the other best
varieties during the coming season.
At the Piedmont Farm.—On this farm selections are being made of
corn, Cotton, wheat and oats, and rye.
The strain of Weekley's Improved corn grown on the farm has been
selected by the plant-tO-row method. Last year a sufficient amount of
the highest yielding strain of this variety was turned over to the super-intendent
of the farm for planting the general crop. In the meantime
the ear-to-row work has been continued to further improve the strain.
Three years ago a portion of the seed from strain No. 29 from King's
variety of cotton selected at the Central Farm at West Raleigh was
transferred to the Piedmont Farm for increase there. This strain has
proved t'o be well adapted to this latter section. Sufficient selections
are made each year from this strain t'o grow a seed patch of one acre.
30 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
The selections are ginned on a hand gin in order to retain the purity of
the strain.
The results of the wheat improvement work that has been carried on
at this farm have been unusually encouraging. Last season, the num-ber
of selected strains of Leap's Prolific were reduced to ten. During
the fall these ten strains were planted in rod rows and were duplicated
fifty times. After each series of the ten selections, one check row was
planted t'o the best obtainable pedigreed Leap's Prolific seed. When
compared with the ordinary commercial seed of Leap's Prolific in 1917,
the improved strain yielded 8.4 bushels more per acre than the commer-cial
seed.
In the improvement work with oats, selections have been made to
increase the yield and resistance to cold of the Appier variety. Last
season the selected strains of oats were reduced to four, as these repre-sented
the highest yielding ones in the test of that' year. They were
planted again in the fall of that year to further test out their yielding
and cold-resistance powers. They were compared with the ordinary
commercial seed and with the best pedigreed strain of Appier oats. The
selected strains showed much more resistance to cold than did the best
of the commercial seeds of the same variety. When the yields were
taken the best selected strain (Wo. 12) had yielded 11.3 bushels of seed
per acre more than the check.
Six selected strains of Abruzzi rye were also compared with the best
pedigreed seed of the same variety that could be had on the market.
In order to make a fair comparison and at the same time increase the
good strains, the selected strains and checks were grown in rod rows and
were repeated fifty times. In this comparison, three of the selections
outyielded the checks. The best selected strain yielded 39 pounds per
acre more than did the best seed obtainable on the market. This
increase would be considered rather small to be counted as an increase
had not the pedigreed commercial strain lead the test the previous year.
At the Central Farm.—Field selection work is being continued with
cotton, corn, wheat, Abruzzi rye and soybeans at this farm.
In the cotton work, selections have been continued with strain Wo. 29.
A seed patch is planted from selected stalks each year. This seed patch
furnishes seed for the general crop as well as for the seed patch the fol-lowing
year. Each year the seed cotton from the seed patch is ginned
with a small gin in order to keep the seed pure. Last season an early
selection from Mexican Big Boll was brought in t'o compare with strain
Wo. 29. The strain from this latter variety because of its longer staple
and much larger boll is showing up to very good advantage.
Similar work to that done with cotton is being carried on with Cook's
Prolific corn, and a special effort' is being made to improve the yielding
power and uniformity of this strain of corn grown on this farm. Much
encouragement has thus far been secured in this direction.
In the wheat improvement work, selection Wo. 12 from Leap's Pro-lific
variety has continued to lead all others. When compared with the
N". C. Agricultural Experiment Station 31
best' pedigreed seed available in rod rows duplicated fifty times, strain
No. 12 has given slightly larger yields than any others, notwithstanding
the fact that it labored under slight disadvantages. It is interesting to
note in this connection, that the four selected strains of Leap's Prolific
grown his year yielded the same relative rank as they did in the tests of
last year.
The selected strains of Abruzzi rye were reduced during the past year
to the four very best. These were compared with the best strains of this
varity that could be had. Strain JSTo. 27, which has been the leading
one in previous years, yielded 59.9 pounds per acre more than did the
checks.
Selections are being made to increase the yield and oil content of the
Mammoth Yellow variety of soybeans, as well as for increasing the
yielding powers of the Haberlandt and Virginia varieties. Work with
the Mammoth Yellow variety was started in the fall of 1916 when seed
from 150 selected plants were saved from a field near Tarboro. The oil
content was determined from the seed of each plant and progeny rows
were grown in 1917. The original selections ranged from 15.6 to 22 per
cent of oil in the seed. The progeny rows were harvested separately and
again the seed were analyzed for oil content. The range or percentage
of oil in the seed of the progeny rows was not quite so great as that of
the parents. Only a few of the high oil parents produced progeny with
high oil content and some of the highest yielding rows were low in oil
content. Selections were made from strains which had shown the high-est
content of both parent and offspring and one of the highest yielding
rows with low oil content was retained for comparison in 1918.
Prolific strains of Haberlandt and Virginia have been isolated and
are now being increased. Both of these have proven to be greatly
superior to the original strain grown on the farm. One slightly later
and more prolific strain of Haberlandt has been isolated with the view
of increasing it for the mountain section of the State.
At the Coastal Plain Farm.—On this farm in Edgecombe County,
cotton and corn are being used for the selection work.
The work with corn, as with other crops, has been handicapped on
account of the lack of a proper place to store and handle the selections as
is afforded at the Mountain and Piedmont farms.
The Mexican Big Boll cotton on this farm has been selected to increase
the yeilding power, earliness and uniformity of the plants. A strain,
isolated two years ago, has been increased so as to furnish enough seed
for planting the entire general crop this past season. Other selections
are being made in order to further improve this strain.
At the Granville Farm.—In the study of varieties of tobacco on this
farm, so far there has not been very decided differences in the yield in a
number of the so-called varieties that have been tested. All of them seem
to be more or less closely related to the Orinoco type. There has been,
however, a considerable difference between the poorer varieties and the
32 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
best' ones, the latter averaging from 100 to 200 pounds per acre more
than the former. The Adcock variety is one of the best for wrappers,
but for priming the Warne gives as good results as the Adcock and per-haps
is a slightly heavier yielder. The former grows with shorter inter-nodes
than does the Adcock. When tobacco is harvested by cutting the
main objection to the Warne type is that it does not ripen up close tc*
the stalk, consequently there are a good many green butts.
RESULTS OF TESTS WITH VARIETIES OF FIELD CROPS
During the past year in the variety tests on the different farms the
number of varieties studied have been reduced to those which have pre-viously
shown up to have superior value and t'o those that would appear
to possess these qualities.
Among the new varieties tests during the year were Rosen rye, Liberty
cotton and Jones' Climax wheat. Rosen rye, which has been extensively
advertised as better than Abruzzi rye, has generally proven too late for
Piedmont and eastern North Carolina conditions. It has not been found
to furnish as much early grazing as does the Abruzzi rye and does not
make sufficiently early growth for turning under early in the spring. In
the mountain section, it produces a larger quantity of seed, and appears
to have considerable promise for the production of seed in this section of
the State.
The Liberty variety of cotton has a very small boll, produces a medium
yield,- and is unusually late for the size of its boll. The trials this year
would not' justify us in recommending this variety for growth under
North Carolina conditions.
The tests of Jones' Climax wheat at Statesville and at West Raleigh
did not show this variety as specially adapted for these sections.
At the Mountain Farm.—During the past season varieties of corn,
cowpeas, soybeans, wheat, spring oats, and rye were tested at this farm.
Below are given a list of the varieties of these that have shown up, on
an average, to best advantages for planting under the conditions as rep-resented
by this farm
:
Corn
First Generation Cross No. 182 Parker's Prolific
Southern Beauty Latham's Double
Weekley's Improved
Wheat
Leap's Prolific Fulcaster
Fultz
Appier
Spring Oats
Fulghum
Red Rust Proof Burt
Virginia Turf
Soybeans
Haberlandt Medium Yellow
Austin Wilson Black
Virginia Black Eyebrow
1ST. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 33
Cowpeas
Taylor
Early Red
Monetta
Groit
At the Piedmont Farm.—On this farm the variety tests of corn, soy-beans,
cowpeas, wheat, and oats have shown the following to be the
leading varieties
:
Corn
Southern Beauty Jarvis' Golden Prolific
Biggs' Seven Ear Grampian (Goodman's Prolific)
First Generation Cross No. 182 Cocke's Prolific
Soybeans
Tarheel Black
Virginia
Cowpeas
Black
Mammoth Yellow
Haberlandt
Groit
Early Red
Purple Straw
Leap's Prolific
Appier
Red Rust Proof
Virginia Turf
Two-crop Clay
Wheat
Oats
Fultz
Fulcaster
Fulghum
Burt
At the Central Farm,—The testing on this farm has shown the follow-ing
to be the most satisfactory yielders of varieties thus far tested
:
Corn
Biggs' Seven-ear
Southern Beauty
Parker's Prolific
Mammoth Yellow
Mammoth Brown
Tarheel Black
Groit
Whippoorwill
New Era
Purple Straw
Leap's Prolific
Abruzzi
First Generation Cross No. 182
Jarvis' Golden
Soybeans
Tokyo
Virginia
Haberlandt
Cowpeas
Wheat
Rye
Red Ripper
Early Red
Whippoorwill X New Era
Fultz
Fulcaster
Common
At the Coastal Plain Farm.—As a result of several years testing on
the farm located in Edgecombe County, it has been found that the fol-lowing
are the leading varieties of corn, soybeans, and cowpeas for that
section of the State :
Corn
Biggs' Seven-Ear Jarvis' Golden Prolific
Latham's Double Williamson
Gerrick's Prolific
3
34 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
Soybeans
Mammoth Yellow Wilson Black
Virginia Haberlandt
Tarheel Black
Cowpeas
Brabham Black
Groit Monetta
Early Red Whippoorwill
At the Tobacco Farm.—In the test' of seventeen varieties of corn dur-ing
four years on this farm in Granville, the following is about the
order they have shown up to be as yielders of shelled corn per acre
:
Biggs' Seven-ear Cocke's Prolific
Deaton's Two-ear Eureka
Latham's Double
At the Black Land Farm.—As a result of three years tests with corn
in which twenty-three varieties have been grown, the following have
shown up to be the leading ones at this farm in about the following
order
:
Latham's Double Tom Green
Horse-Tooth Wannamaker
At the Pender Farm.—As a result of two years tests, in which eight
varieties of soybeans and cowpeas each have been tested, the following
have shown up, in about' the order given, to be the most promising ones
for that section of the State
:
Soybeans
Mammoth Yellow Wilson Black
Virginia Tarheel Black
Cowpeas
Groit Two Crop Clay
Whippoorwill Early Red
MISCELLANEOUS TESTS WITH TOBACCO
A study has been made at the Granville Farm to determine if by more
intensive fertilization and closer planting the yield of tobacco can be
increased without' injuring its quality. The evidence so far from these
experiments seems to be conclusive that in a great many sections of the
old tobacco belt, growers do not plant enough tobacco on the land. Five
thousand to 5,500 plants seem to be about' the right number for best
results, while a great many farmers do not plant more than 3,500 to
4,000 per acre.
In the study of the relative value of priming and cutting tobacco at
the Granville Farm it has been found that a gain of 240 pounds per
acre was obtained by priming the leaves instead of cutting the stalks,
which is commonly practiced. This increase has been equalled in value
to more than $49.00 per acre. It is believed that the results of this ex-
!N\ C. Agricultural Experiment Station 35
periment would be of value to the old tobacco belt, particularly as the
new tobacco belt farmers all prime their tobacco, anyway.
It has been brought out in the fertilizer experiments conducted at
Reidsville that by increasing the ammonia content' of the fertilizers used,
there has been observed a great susceptibility to leaf spot and other dis-eases
effecting the tissues, such as rot and wild fire. Potash appears to
increase the resistance of the tissues to these diseases and makes a
heavier bodied leaf.
Respectfully submitted,
C. B. Williams,
Chief Division of Agronomy.
REPORT OF THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY
To the Director:
The greater part of the work of this Division during the year has
been the compilation of the results of previous years. Some very inter-esting
and satisfactory results have been obtained with the assistance of
Drs. Williams, Miller, and Dobbins, and Mr. Fetzer, of the staff of the
Chemistry Department of the College, who began work with the Station
on March 1st.
Four articles have already been published for the year, namely
:
"Methods for Approximating the Relative Toxicity of Cottonseed
Products" Journal of Biological Chemistry, October, 1917. F. E.
Carruth.
"Iron as an Antidote to Cottonseed Meal Injury," Journal of Bio-logical
Chemistry, November, 1917. W. A. Withers and F. E. Car-ruth.
"Gossypol the Toxic Substance in Cottonseed," Journal of Agricul-tural
Research, January 14, 1918. W. A. Withers and F. E. Car-ruth.
"Contributions to the Chemistry of Gossypol," Journal of the
American Chemical Society, April, 1918. F. E. Carruth.
There is in manuscript form, ready to submit for publication,
another article to be entitled "Comparative Toxicity of Cottonseed
Products," Journal of Agricultural Research, September 2, 1918.
W. A. Withers and F. E. Carruth.
A brief summary of the principal conclusions of these articles is
shown as follows
:
(1) We have devised a method for making a qualitative test of
gossypol.
(2) "We have devised a method for determining quantitatively the
amount of gossypol in cottonseed meal, including the unchanged gossypol
and the gossypol which has become fixed.
(3) Iron salts, although unable to prevent cottonseed meal injury,
was shown to have a beneficial effect in the way of enabling animals to
eat larger quantities of meal, and in many cases death has been post-poned
or averted.
(4) This control to some extent by iron salts of the toxic factor indi-cates
that there is little foundation for the theory of others that cotton-seed
meal injury is due to lack of vitamines or mineral matter.
(5) Further evidence in support of our previous conclusions that
gossypol is the toxic substance in cottonseed is found in the fact that
a. Raw kernels are harmful to rats, and that the harmful sub-stance
is removed by ether, giving a toxic extract.
b. Gossypol itself has been found toxic to pigs.
c. The residue left after extraction of the kernels with ether is
nontoxic.
"N. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 37
(6) We have found that cooking the kernels renders them much more
toxic on account of the diminution of the amount of gossypol and of its
change to a much more difficult soluble form.
(7) We have found a considerable variation in variaus animals with
reference to the toxic effect of cottonseed products, the rats and fowls
being able to withstand very much larger relative amounts of cotton-seed
meal for longer periods. Pigs and rabbits are very susceptible.
(8) We have been unable in the case of pigs to overcome the toxic
effect of cottonseed meal by adding large amounts of vitamines and
minerals.
RESULTS SECURED
With the assistance of Dr. Williams, Dr. Miller, Dr. Dobbins, and Mr.
Fetzer, we have obtained, among others, the following results
:
(1) We have collected samples of cottonseed meal from various mills
in the State and found considerable variation in the amount of gossypol,
in the amount of D gossypol and in the sum of these two substances.
(2) It appears to us that a considerable variation in this substance is
due to the method of manufacturers, but it appears to us also that there
must be a difference in the seeds as well.
(3) Our experiments indicate the possibility of producing a meal for
commercial purposes of very much less toxicity than the meal usually
found on the market. This toxicity may be reduced so low as to be
inappreciable. We should like to make further tests along this line with
animals.
(4) We have made further study of the difficultly soluble gossypol in
cottonseed meal and we have indications that the main change in the
gossypol is due to its union with the proteid matter of the meal and its
greater insolubility on this account.
(5) Some progress has been made in the knowledge of the chemistry
of gossypol.
I feel considerable, and I hope not improper, pride in presenting a
summary of this work. We feel satisfied that gossypol is the toxic sub-stance
in cotton seed, and that its removal will render cottonseed products
nontoxic. We think that from the scientific standpoint this is a con-siderable
achievement. From a practical standpoint we have indica-tions
as to the practicability of a method for the removal to a large
extent of gossypol, thus rendering it a safe protein feed.
We cannot accept the vit'amine theory of Rommel and Vedder, of the
United States Department of Agriculture, or the conclusions of Misses
Richardson and Green, of Texas, and we are of the opinion that Osborne
and Mendel, of Yale, are in error in some of their conclusions. We think
that our work will stand and it's standing contrary to the conclusions of
these excellent and experienced workers is, in our opinion, quite an
.achievement. Respectfully submitted,
W. A. Withers,
Chemist, Experiment Station.
REPORT OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY DIVISION
To the Director:
Heretofore I have, in my Annual Report', reviewed in more or less
detail the outstanding phases of animal industry work. This year,
however, I intend to give only mere statements of projects. If you
desire a full report of any particular phase, it will be little trouble for
me to place it in your hands, upon request, as the greater part of the
work is summarized up to date.
BEEF CATTLE AND SHEEP
R. S. Curtis, in Charge
Assisted by Earl Hostetler, F. T. Peden, J. W. Sloss, J. B. Peery, George
Evans, and W. R. Radford
Experimental Work:
1. The Relative Value of Velvet Bean and Cottonseed Meal as a Peed for
Fattening Beef Cattle. (Central Experimental Farm.)
2. The Relative Value of Soybean and Cottonseed Meal for Fattening Beef
Cattle. (Central Experimental Farm.)
3. An Investigation to Determine Whether or Not Cottonseed Meal Influ-ences
Unfavorable Breeding Qualities of Animals. (Central Experimental
Farm.)
4. The Relative Value of Peanut and Cottonseed Meal for Fattening Beef
Cattle. (Edgecombe Test Farm.)
5. Determining the Cost of Wintering Feeders and Effect of Different
Methods of Wintering Upon the Subsequent Gains Upon Pasture. (Iredell
Test Farm.)
6. Determining the Cost of Wintering Stockers and Feeders Under Differ-ent
Methods and the Effect Upon the Cattle Throughout the Subsequent
Summer Period. (T. L. Gwyn Farm, Haywood County.)
7. Determining the Best Method of Wintering Breeding Cows and Growing
Mature Calves for Breeding Purposes. (Cotton Valley Farm, Tarboro.)
8. Studies in Milk Sickness or Trembles. (Central Experimental Farm
and Iredell Test Farm.)
9. Determining the Effect of Heavy Rations of Cottonseed Meal on the
Health and Reproductive Abilities of Breeding Ewes. (Central Experimental
Farm.)
10. Determining the Cost and Best Methods of Feeding Breeding Ewes
During Both Winter and Summer. (Iredell Test Farm.)
11. Determining the Best Methods of Growing and Feeding Sheep in the
Mountains of North Carolina Both Winter and Summer Seasons. Spruce
Pine Farm.)
DAIRY EXPERIMENTAL WORK
Stanley Combs, in Charge
On March 18, 1918, Mr. W. H. Eaton, who had charge of the Dairy
Experimental Work for about three years, resigned to go to Alabama
to accept a more lucrative position. Mr. Stanley Combs, who, up to that
time, had been associated with the Dairy Field Office, was appointed to
fill this vacancy.
Since Mr. Combs assumed the direction of the Dairy Experimental
Work he has devoted the most of his time to attending to the business
!N". C. Agricultural Experiment Station 39
end of the Pender dairy herd, trying to inject better care and business
principles into it's management. He has succeeded very well in
doing this, too, as the herd is now more than paying its way. Our
object, of course, is not to make money out of the Pender dairy herd, but
it is there for investigational purposes. However, we do expect it to
pay its way and secure valuable investigational results in addition. The
herd is being built up to a 30-cow dairy. At the present time there are
altogether 44 animals in the herd, many of them being calves and other
young stuff.
The investigational projects under way at the present time are
:
1. To Determine the Relative Value of Cottonseed Meal, Soybean Meal, and
Velvet Bean Meal for Raising Dairy Calves. (Pender Test Farm.)
2. Determining the Cost of Raising Dairy Heifer Calves. (Pender Test
Farm.)
3. Determining the Cost of Milk Production. (Greensboro Neighborhood.
This work is now closed and the results are being summarized.)
4. Determining Whether It is Possible to Remove the Onion Flavor From
Milk and Butter. (Pender Test Farm and Central Experimental Farm.)
5. The Effect of Feeding a High Ration of Cottonseed Meal Upon the
Breeding Quality of Dairy Animals. (Central Experimental Farm.)
6. Just as soon as Mr. Combs gets a good grasp of the business ends of the
Pender dairy herd, he will launch into investigational problems connected
with feeding milking cows.
POULTRY EXPERIMENTAL WORK
Dr. B. F. Kaupp, in Charge.
Assisted by J. E. Ivey
1. Pathological Studies of Roup, Bone Diseases, Limberneck, Diseases of
the Oviduct and Ovary, Abdominal Diseases, Tumors, etc. (Central Experi-mental
Farm.)
2. Anatomy, Physiology and Histology of the Domestic Fowl. (Central
Experimental Farm.)
Dr. Kaupp has recently written a book on this question
which is a contribution to scientific literature. The work
was all done in his laboratory.
3. Mineral Requirements of Growing Chicks. (Central Experimental
Farm.)
4. The Value of Velvet Bean Meal for Feeding Poultry. (Central Experi-mental
Farm.)
5. The Value of Peanut Meal as a Feed for Poultry. (Edgecombe Test
Farm.
)
6. Breeding for Egg Production. (Central Experimental Farm.)
7. Dry Lot Feeding of Growing Chickens Against Range Conditions. (Ire-dell
Test Farm.)
8. Physical Measurements Correlated With Egg Production. (Central
Experimental Farm.)
9. Hen Culling Records Based on Physical Indications. (Central Experi-mental
Farm.)
10. Buttermilk Compared With Meat Meal in a Ration for Poultry. (Ire-dell
Test Farm.)
11. Experiments to Determine the Best Method of Shipping and Packing
Eggs. (Central Experimental Farm.)
12. Determining the Place of Cottonseed Meal in a Ration for Hens.
(Central Experimental Farm.)
40 Forty-fikst Annual Report, 1918
13. Fattening and Shipping Broilers and Fowls. (Central Experimental
Farm.)
14. Experiments to Determine Factors Which Control Fertility in Fowls.
(Central Experimental Farm.)
15. Factors Which Determine Chick Mortality. (Central Experimental
Farm.)
16. A Study of the Distribution of Blackhead in Turkeys. (Central
Experimental Farm.)
17. The Value of Buttermilk Cheese and Buttermilk as a Feed for Raising
Young Chicks. (Central Experimental Farm.)
18. Studies in Gathering, Curing, and Shipping Feathers. (Central
Experimental Farm.)
19. Studies in Protein Requirements of Laying Hens and Growing Chicks.
(Central Experimental Farm.)
20. Mendelian Studies in Breeding White Leghorns, Barred Rocks, and
Rhode Island Reds. (Central Experimental Farm.)
SWINE EXPERIMENTAL WORK
Dan T. Gray, in Charge
Assisted by Earl Hostetler
1. To Determine the Value of Soybean Pasture and Peanut Pasture When
Fed Alone and When Fed With a Partial Ration of Corn for Fattening Hogs.
(Edgecombe Test Farm.)
2. To Determine the Value of Peanut Gleanings After the Peanuts Are
Removed for Market. (Edgecombe Test Farm and Cotton Valley Farm.)
3. To Determine the Vale of Bur Clover as a Grazing Crop for Hogs.
(Edgecombe Test Farm and Pender Test Farm.)
4. Determining the Value of Permanent Pastures for Hog Grazing.
(Edgecombe Test Farm and Pender Test Farm.)
5. To Determine the Cost of Raising Pigs to Weaning Time. (Edgecombe
Test Farm and Iredell Test Farm.)
6. To Determine at What Time Hogs Should Be Turned on to a Soybean
Pasture for Best Results. (Cotton Valley Farm.)
7. To Determine the Relative Value of Soybean and Peanut Pastures When
Fed in Conjunction With a Half Ration of Grain. (Pender Test Farm.)
8. Studies Relating to Methods of Curing Meats. (Central Experimental
Farm and Pender Test Farm.)
9. The Effect of Grazing Crops Upon the Bodies of Hogs and Determining
the Value of Various Concentrated Feeds for Hardening the Bodies of Hogs
After Being Rendered Soft. (Central Experimental Farm and Edgecombe
Test Farm and Pender Test Farm.)
10. To Determine the Value of Soybean Meal, Velvet Bean Meal, and Pea-nut
Meal in a Hog's Ration. (Central Experimental Farm and Pender Test
Farm.)
HORSE AND MULE WORK
On account of the fact that the Division has no one in charge of the
Horse and Mule Work, little is being done. Only one project is being
studied
:
1. To Determine the Place of Cottonseed Meal in a Ration for Horses and
Mules. (Edgecombe Test Farm, Pender Test Farm, and Iredell Test Farm.)
LETTERS WRITTEN AND NUMBER OF MEETINGS ATTENDED
This year the members of the Animal Industry Division have
answered 22,629 personal letters from farmers in this and other states.
~N. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 41
The following summary is a close estimate of the number of meetings
the members of this Division have attended and the number of people
met in public meetings :
Office Farmers'
Institutes
Dairy
Schools
Other
Meetings
Total
Attendance
4
192
194
5
425
28 16,500
Poultry Clubs 14,514
475
10 41 3,090
11
186
486
433
13,374
32 26,911
Totals 7 41 1,078 75,722
*Under the head of Dairy Schools .
The above statement does not include the number of people met' by the
members of the Division on personal visits upon farms ; neither does it
include the number of people met at the two largest agricultural meet-ings
of the state, namely, the Annual Live Stock Meeting and the
-Farmers' Round-up Institute at Raleigh.
Respectfully submitted,
Dan T. Gray,
Chief, Animal Industry Division.
REPOET OF THE DIVISION OF ENTOMOLOGY
To the Director:
I herewith present report upon the several project's of Investigational
Work which are being conducted by this Division, covering the year
from June 30, 1917, to June 30, 1918. In the course of discussion of the
several projects, several have been mentioned in which it is desirable
that an assistant be especially assigned, particularly as follows
:
An assistant assigned to State Insect Survey Work.
An assistant assigned to study of Insects in Relation to Health and
Comfort of Man.
INVESTIGATIONAL WORK
The Investigational projects are as follows
:
1. Pecan insects.—A study of the insects which attack the pecan,
with study of remedies for those that are seriously destructive.
2. Corn stalk-borer.—A study of the life-history, habits, generations,
etc., of this pest, with study of methods for control.
3. Potato spraying.—Tests of mixtures and times of application t'o
devise the most practicable and most profitable spraying schedule to
control potato beetle, and at same time secure highest' yield.
4. Soap and water remedy for aphids.—Tests of this simple home-made
preparation, in place of more complicated or less available mate-rials,
often recommended.
5. Insect survey.—A study of the insect life of the State, to deter-mine
the distribution within the State of injurious, beneficial, and other
insects.
6. Field studies of black corn weevil.—Observations to throw light on
methods of farm practice which may lessen weevil damage to corn,
especially in the coastal region.
7. Mosquitoes and flies.—Studies and observations of the control
work done by the Public Health Service in and near shipyards and
camps, as a basis for similar work by State or local authorities in time
of peace.
8. Cabbage dusting to control worms.—To revise knowledge pre-viously
gained on this subject, by use of newer materials and improved
equipment.
Taking up these several projects in the order listed :
1. Pecan Insects
The work on this project is done by Mr. R. W. Leiby, Assistant Ento-mologist.
While studies and observations are made in many private
orchards, the chief sources for securing data are the pecan orchards on
the Branch Station Farms in Pender and Edgecombe counties. Careful
studies have been continued upon twig girdler, case-bearer, trunk-borer,
flat-head and round-head borers, leaf-eating caterpillars, shuck-weevils,
N. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 43
nut-weevils, etc. Tests for. control of several of these have been made
during the year, while observations upon the habits and life-histories
are always valuable as indicating the exact time for applying remedies
so as to secure best protection.
2. Corn Stalk-Borer
The work on this project is chiefly by Mr. Leiby, with supplementary
work by E. Sherman, Entomologist. The chief sources of information
are the corn fields at the Pender and Edgecombe farms, more especially
the latter. Continued observations support conclusions alluded to in
previous reports, that there are two main destructive broods of this
borer, and that, consequently, lat'e planted corn is subject to much less
injury than that which is planted earlier. Other observations are in
progress to show the effect of certain simple field operations.
3. Potato Spraying.
Conducted by Mr. Leiby at the Mountain Branch Station in Bun-combe
County, supplemented in 1918 by a test in the coastal region at
New Bern.
The fifth year's operations on this project in the mountains is under
way in 1918, and, in order to emphasize the importance of pot'ato spray-ing
as a war measure, a corroborative test is being made in 1918 in the
vicinity of New Bern. We feel that the data secured in each of these
years has proven conclusively that proper spraying of Irish potatoes is
highly profitable in the mountains, and certainly, when these results are
combined into a five-years average, it should be a safe criterion to the
results that can be reasonably expected from the practice.
4. Soap and Water Remedy for Aphids
The tests under this head have been mainly by the Entomologist', and
are designed to prove the value of a simple home-made preparation in
the control of various kinds of aphids (plant-lice), instead of relying
entirely upon more complicated or less available materials that are
often recommended. These t'ests have now been made upon a number of
different kinds of plant-lice, in a number of different years, with favor-able
results.
5. Insect Survey
This work is under general care of the Entomologist, participated in
by himself and all interested persons in the Division. Under this
project our collections have grown in scope and value, and are con-stantly
used for study and comparison, and to secure material for
instruction, exhibits at fairs, farmers' institutes, special meetings, and
lectures. Our collection contains many thousands of specimens and rep-resents
probably over 2,000 species or kinds, while our records show
over 5,000 species of insects now known to be native to North Carolina.
44 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
It has not been possible to develop this project in proper proportion
to our other lines of work. I feel sure that there is ample opportunity
for the employment of one assistant, to be assigned chiefly or exclusively
to this permanent line of work, in order that our collections may increase
in usefulness.
6. Field Studies of Black Corn Weevil
Work on this project was begun a year or two ago ; the observations
being made by Mr. Leiby and Mr. Sherman, chiefly at the Black Land
Farm in Washington County. Our studies show that' early maturing
corns are exposed to more weevil damage than later maturing corns, and
that part of the weevil injury can be avoided by simple methods of
management which involve no material expense. In this, our findings
agree with those of others.
7. Mosquitoes and Flies
The sanitary work undertaken by the Public Health Service, in and
around the military camps and shipyards in the State, induced us to
begin observations on mosquitoes, for it is the wish of the Public Health
service that the work undertaken shall become a basis for State and
local work after the war emergency shall have passed. We wish to
state clearly that the actual work now under way is the work of the
Public Health Service in cooperation with local authorities, and is not
in any way under the direction of this Division. This opportunity is
merely used to observe and study, in the expect'ation that the knowledge
thus gained may be of future use. The consent and cooperation of the
authorities has been given in making observations in vicinities of the
shipyards at Wilmington, and Camp Polk at Raleigh. It is presumed
that' similar work is under way in vicinity of the camps at Charlotte
and Fayetteville.
We have observed the drainage work to lessen the breeding of mosqui-toes,
the screening of kitchens and mess-halls, sewage disposal and care
of latrines, and the burning out and burial of used food containers, these
being, in brief, the methods chiefly used to control insect's which might
spread disease. In connection with these observations, we have col-lected
adult mosquitoes in the localities, and have collected wigglers,
from which mosquitoes have been reared to maturity, t'o ascertain which
particular kinds are present.
Looking at this matter from the standpoint of the entomologist, Mr.
Leiby and others are of the opinion that there should be a trained
assistant in this Division, assigned especially to the study of insects in
relation to the health and comfort of man. It should be prepared, for
example, to cooperate with any county or city undertaking mosquito
work, to the extent of locating the chief breeding places, and ascertain-ing
the exact species of mosquitoes which are most abundant or most
important in the locality. For all mosquitoes do not spread malaria,
and malarial mosquitoes do not breed in all waters. Furthermore, the
~N. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 45
most thorough local work will not prevent an invasion by mosquitoes,
which may fly long distances with the wind. Such information, which
can only be supplied by a specialist assigned to such topics, may often
prevent lost motion, useless work, and waste of funds.
8. Cabbage Dusting to Control Worms
Under the food emergency, we thought it advisable to conduct tests
to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of dusting cabbages with
poisons to control worms. This work has been done by Mr. Leiby at the
Mountain Branch Station, with the assistance of Mr. S. C. Clapp,
Superintendent. The results were favorable, and convincing photo-graphs
were secured which can be made the basis of future advice.
Kespectfully submitted,
Franklin Sherman,
Chief Division of Entomology
EEPOET OF ENTOMOLOGIST
To the Director:
The Division of Entomology has studied a variety of insects during
the past year. These studies have been devoted principally to the life
histories, and other relations of a few typical pests. This work has
been, for the most part, foundation work, but incidentally some new
and exceedingly valuable remedies have been discovered. It is to this
latter phase of the problem that we will give most' attention in this
report.
WORK WITH GLOOMY SCALE
The gloomy scale, which is the most destructive pest of our shade
maples, has been investigated. Its life history has been completely
worked out. In the course of these investigations a small wasp has been
discovered which is very destructive to the scale, killing, at times, as
high as 98 per cent of the scale on a tree. Unfortunately this little
parasitic wasp is effected very adversely by some unknown factors, and
while it may be present in a very beneficial way one year, it may be
almost entirely absent the next year. Thus while we may learn to
appreciate our little friend, we cannot rely upon it entirely.
Our main recourse, therefore, must' be to artificial spraying. During
the course of these investigations it has been demonstrated time and
again that certain spray solutions called soluble oils are effective against
the gloomy scale, whereas certain other solutions such as the lime sul-phurs,
are not nearly so effective against this pest. Careful investiga-tions
have been instigated to determine this point, and while it is
believed that' the problem has been solved, it will require a little longer
to determine whether we have the right solution.
46 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
This instance is mentioned as it shows very clearly the painstaking
nature of most of the work carried on by this Division. "Work that may
require years before the true answer is found, but once the answer is
found it may be very far reaching in its results. Naturally in such
investigations many false clues must be followed, for disproving the
false is of as much value as proving the true. Occasionally the question
is raised why is it necessary to investigate the life-history of an insect
so carefully. The answer is that such an investigation must be made in
order to apply the proper remedy.
Again, the gloomy scale investigation will show why this is true. In
order to control this pest successfully the trees must be sprayed in the
winter after the leaves are off, and before the buds swell in the spring
The reason for this is that winter is the only season of the year that
mixtures can be applied to the trees that are strong enough to kill the
scale and yet not injure the trees. Now, because the injury caused by
this scale is not evident in the winter, but is evident in the summer, we
frequently have to answer the question as to why cannot a weaker solu-tion
be used in the summer, so as to kill the young scale. The answer
to this could be had only after several years investigations, during which
time we had to report more failures than successes, because the insect
is so small and so different to carry through its life cycle. At last, how-ever,
the answer has been found. The mother scale often lives more
than sixteen months and during at least four of these months she is
giving birth to living young. Thus the study of the life-history when it
was completed, showed us that in order to kill the young scale, we would
have to make repeated applications of weak mixtures which could be
only partially successful, whereas, one application of a strong mixture,
in the winter, will be many times more successful.
THE BEAN AND PEA WEEVILS
Some one has truly said, from insect's there is no escape. Not only do
insect pests usually commence their attacks upon the sprouting seeds in
the ground, but other successive waves of pests continue the attacks upon
the growing plants, while other pests attack the harvested crop, often
completely destroying it.
To this latter class belong a group that is generally called the bean
and pea weevils. These weevils feed upon the seeds of the bean, garden
pea, cowpea, etc. It is not unusual for these weevils to completely
destroy the beans or peas in a single season. During the last year we
have investigated many phases of this problem, and the following is a
summary of the most' important points.
These weevils are confined in their choice of food to the seeds of the
bean and pea family. The most of the weevils of this group continue
to breed in the beans or peas throughout the year, although they are
much more destructive in the warm summer months than at any other
season of the year. A few weevils in a sack in the spring will produce
"N. C. Ageicultural Experiment Station 47
enougli weevils to completely destroy the stored stock by fall, if left
undisturbed. An investigation reported elsewhere shows that more
than half a million weevils may develop in a bushel of peas in a single
season. The earlier, therefore, the beans or peas are treated, the better.
The two best methods of treating the seed is to store them in air-slacked
lime or to kill the weevils by means of heat. The first method has the
advantage that the beans or peas need no further attention. It has the
disadvantage that the lime may be somewhat troublesome, especially if
the seed are used for food or feed purposes. The treatment by heat has
the disadvantage that the beans or peas must be watched carefully and
treated again if living weevils are discovered at any time.
The amount of lime necessary to use in the first method will vary
somewhat with the number of beans or peas stored in one place. For
very small amounts, anything less than a gallon, use four times as much
air-slacked lime as seed, mix thoroughly and store in bags or boxes. For
larger amounts up to, say, two or three bushels, use the same amount of
air-slacked lime as there is beans or peas. For amounts up to, say,
twenty-five bushels, use one-half as much lime. For larger amounts
than this, place the beans or peas in a bin t'o a depth of not over two or
three feet, mix well a small amount of air-slacked lime, say, one bushel
to eight or ten or beans or peas, smooth off the top and cover with a layer
of lime half an inch to an inch thick.
The air-slacked lime will not injure the beans or peas for food, feed,
or seed purposes. When used for food or feed purposes, the lime can
be removed easily from the seed by sifting and then washing thoroughly
;
for seed purposes, the lime need not be removed, but may be sown with
the seed.
The beans or peas may be treated by either wet or dry heat. The
former is t'o be preferred if only a few are to be treated, but the latter is
much more convenient' if there are large amounts. In treating these by
the dry method, they may be stored in any fairly tight room or building
that can be heated. If there is no stove in the building, an ordinary oil
stove is convenient to use. If the room is tightly closed the temperature
can easily be raised, in the summer time, from 120 to 140 degrees. It
should not be higher than this if the beans or peas are to be used for seed
purposes. Higher temperatures will do no harm if they are t'o be used
for food purposes only. This high temperature should be maintained
for from three to four hours.
For those who prefer, the beans or peas may be treated by dipping in
hot water at about 140 degrees for fifteen to twenty minutes. Water at
140 degrees is slightly hotter than one can bear the hand in comfortably.
This treatment will not injure the beans or peas, if they are thoroughly
dried after treatment. They should then be stored in tight sacks to pre-vent
weevils gaining entrance from the out'side.
48 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
THE MELON BEETLES
The melon beetles are among the most destructive insects and they
have many interesting relations. The adults generally feed on the
leaves of plants, being especially destructive t'o the leaves of melons and
related plants. The grubs, however, feed on the roots of plants.
One kind in particular, the spotted melon beetle, is especially inter-esting
because its grub is so destructive t'o corn, being known under a
variety of names, such as bud worm and root worm. For the past three
years this Division has been investigating this insect in cooperation
with the Division of Cereal Crop Insects, Federal Bureau of Entomol-ogy.
Our chief study thus far has been one phase of this problem, the
relation between time of planting and destruction by this insect.
In these investigations we have made plantings at five different sta-tions.
The plantings have been made every two weeks and carefully
inspected every two weeks. This is necessary because a method of
planting the grain in a hill and then keeping a careful record of each
hill throughout the season has been adopted. The size of this task can
be appreciated better when it is known that each planting contains 400
hills and that as a general thing six plantings are made at each of five
places each year, and that usually each planting is inspected four times
each season. This means the careful inspection of something like
50,000 hills of corn annually and a careful tabulation of the results.
The investigations are far from being completed and at the present time
no definite conclusions can be drawn.
In this same series of investigations we have conducted some careful
experiments against the adults which feed on melons and have shown
that a careful dusting of the plants at the proper season will check the
pests effectively.
THE TOBACCO FLEA BEETLE %
The tobacco flea beetle is the worst insect pest with which the tobacco
farmer has to deal. The worst phase being that this pest attacks the
tobacco plants from the time they come up in the beds until the crop is
harvested and cured. Perhaps the most troublesome part of the prob-lem
is the fact that the tobacco farmer cannot get a stand of plants in
his beds and when the tobacco is transplanted the beetles are usually
abundant enough to kill it outright or to stunt it very badly. As one
tobacco farmer expressed it, half of his labors would be ended if he
could solve this problem.
The enormous amount that these small insects eat can hardly be
appreciated, but a series of careful experiments have shown that each
tobacco flea beetle eats more than ten times its own weight each day.
This is equivalent to an average man eating a ton of food daily or an
average cow eating five tons of hay each day.
1ST. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 49
After a careful study extending over two years it is believed that this
problem has been solved. Briefly the answer may be outlined as follows :
(1) careful dusting or spraying of the tobacco beds; (2) dipping the
plants at transplanting time; (3) destroying the suckers in the field after
the crop is harvested, and (4) destroying the hibernating quarters for
the flea beetles. A bulletin giving these points more in detail is now
ready for the press and will soon be available for the farmers of the
State.
INSECTS AFFECTING ORNAMENTAL PLANTS
The Division of Entomology has not' been unmindful of the fact
that man, to enjoy life to the utmost, must be placed in beautiful sur-roundings,
and in order to make these surroundings, or the home beau-tiful
he must necessarily use ornamental plants. Most ornamental
plant's are seriously affected by a host of insect pests, and the Division
of Entomology has been studying a number of these for the past several
years. These studies have been devoted more especially to the white
fly which attacks the privet hedge, and to the euonymous scale which
attacks the euonymous hedge. Satisfactory remedies for both these
pests have been found and it is hoped to publish these soon.
The Entomologist of the Experiment Station has been interested for a
long time in the plant hoppers, a group of insects which attack chiefly
the hay and pasturage crops, and during the past year a number of
phases of the life-histories of these insects have been investigated.
These insects are coming into more and more prominence in this State
as hay and pasture become more and more important. We are just now
starting a series of experiments on these pests in their relation to alfalfa
and other hay crops. Respectfully submitted,
Z. P. Metcalf,
Entomologist.
REPORT OF DIVISION" OF HORTICULTURE
To the Director:
I herewith submit the report of the experimental work of the Division
of Horticulture for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1918. The experi-mental
work of the Division is being continued along the lines of the
projects described in previous reports.
INVESTIGATIONS WITH PECANS ( TRUCK STATION, COASTAL STATION, AND
PIEDMONT STATION)
1. To determine the value of the pecan as a commercial 'proposition
in North Carolina.—During the winter of 1906-'07, experimental pecan
orchards, containing the most important southern varieties, were planted
on the Truck Station in Pender County ; on the Coastal Plain Station in
Edgecombe County, and on the Piedmont Station in Iredell County.
At eight years of age, the experimental orchards in the Coastal Plain
section of the State produced what might be considered their first com-mercial
crop, while up to the present the trees in the Piedmont section
have produced only a few nuts. The results so far secured indicate
strongly that, as a commercial proposition, pecan growing should be
confined entirely to the Coastal Plain.
2. Variety testing.—Twenty-two of the most important southern
varieties are included in this test, which has been carried on for eleven
years. At this time valuable recommendations regarding pecan varie-ties
for planting in the State can be made. Gratifying results are being
secured from the work, as certain varieties are showing marked adap-tability
to North Carolina conditions, while others are proving to be
undesirable. It has been found that certain varieties that are very
satisfactory in the Gulf Coast section are almost worthless here, owing
to the shorter growing season. It is evident, . even from the compara-tively
short length of time that the investigation has been conducted,
that the variety factor is of extreme importance in determining the
success or failure of a pecan orchard in this State.
3. Securing individual tree performance records.—Performance
records of the individual pecan trees in the experimental orchards at
the several stations were secured this year, as in former years. It has
been noted, as -a result of this work, that trees of the same variety,
under identical conditions, are uniformly heavy yielders, while others
are very poor producers; some producing uniformly large nuts and
others uniformly small nuts. As these individual performance records
suggest the possibility of improving and standardizing individual yields
by bud selection, work has been started along this line.
4. Cultural practices.—Investigations to determine the value of
correct cultural practices were continued this year. The value of cor-
~N. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 51
rect cultural practices, such as tillage, the use of cover crops and legu-minous
crops, is clearly shown in the increased size of trees, and in the
increased size and number of nuts produced, when compared to trees and
their products grown in sod.
5. The value of the different varieties as regards cracking quality.—
The cracking test of the different varieties is made each year. The
cracking test is a necessary adjunct to the performance record of a given
variety in determining its value in a certain section. Very often a
variety is highly satisfactory from a productive standpoint, but the
cracking test shows it to be nearly worthless from a utility viewpoint.
The cracking test shows the number of nuts per pound, and determines
the percentage of unbroken halves the variety will crack out', the per-centage
of shrunken kernels, the percentage of physiological spot, the
percentage of faulty nuts, the shape and size of the kernels, the texture,
quality, and flavor of meat', the percentage of meat and the thickness of
shell. As a result of these cracking tests conducted each year, certain
varieties that were satisfactory from a productive standpoint proved to
be totally unsuit'ed to North Carolina conditions.
6. Top-worhing methods.—Progress should be reported in the inves-tigations
concerning the top-working pecan trees and the methods em-ployed.
The investigations show that good results can be secured by
both the "patch bud" method and the "slip bark graft" method. Results
indicate that success rests as much in the selection of suitable bud and
graft wood as in the technique of the operator.
7. Pecan breeding.—The seedlings, as a result of pecan breeding
work, that were set in 1915 at the Truck Station, are making a satisfac-tory
growth. During the following year a few nuts are expected.
INVESTIGATIONS WITH PEACHES
1. Peach breeding work {Truck Branch Station).—It is the object
of this project to produce (a) earlier maturing white and yellow fleshed
varieties of peaches, (b) earlier freestone varieties of both white and
yellow fleshed peaches, (c) varieties hardier in bud, and (d) varieties
with a longer resting period.
Selection, crossing, and production of seedlings are the methods of
procedure in this project'. To provide working material for this project,
a variety orchard containing over 60 different varieties of peaches was
planted at the Truck Station during 1917. These trees have made such
a satisfactory growth that if favorable conditions prevail, active wor£
on this project can be started next spring.
2. Variety tests.—The testing of different varieties on the several
branch stations have been continued from year to year.
3.
CiDehorning"- peach trees {Piedmont Station and Coasted Plain
Station).—During this last season additional progress with the peach
"dehorning" project has been made. From the results so far secured, it
52 Forty-first Annual Report, 1918
has been shown that in years when the buds are killed by cold, "dehorn-ing"
is a profitable practice in renewing old trees. It has been found
that the operation may be done relatively late in the spring with satis-factory
results.
4. Summer pruning peach trees (Piedmont Station and Coastal
Plain Station).—Progress has been made with the experiments in sum-mer
pruning "dehorned" trees. The results so far secured indicate that
careful attention should be given to summer pruning, to secure the best
shaped trees and the proper distribution of fruit buds. Further investi-gations,
relative to the amount of pruning and the time of pruning, are
being conducted.
5. Summer pruning young peach trees.—It is a debatable question
among fruit' growers in the State whether or not it is advisable to sum-mer
prune young peach trees to shape them properly. To obtain infor-mation
on this question, investigations are being conducted from year to
year.
INVESTIGATIONAL WORK. WITH THERMAL ZONES
The investigational work with thermal zones was inaugurated in a
preliminary way in 1909 at the Blantyre Test Farm by W. 1ST. Hutt, to
ascertain, if possible, the conditions underlying the phenomena of ther-mal
belts or frostless zones in relation to fruit growing. Two years of
preliminary investigation furnished such evidence of the necessity and
value of the work that' the cooperation of the United States Weather
Bureau was secured. Special recording stations were established in
various orchards on the mountains where a range in elevation from 1,000
to 4,200 feet was secured. In 1912, the recording stations were increased
in number to 15. The field work and records were completed in 1916.
Since that time, the vast amount of records collected at the different
stations are being worked over by the experts of the United States
Weather Bureau, under the direction of Professor Cox of the Chicago
Station.
A topographical map of western North Carolina has been prepared
with contour lines showing the locations of the observation stations and
the mountainous nature of the surrounding country. In order to make
this work of practical, as well as of scientific value, a map showing the
location of railroads to available fruit zones of 500 feet contours from
1,500 to 3,500 feet elevation is being prepared. This map, in addition
to that prepared by the Weather Bureau experts, will be of value Co peo-ple
in securing lands at suitable altitudes for commercial orcharding.
The results of these investigations are being prepared for publication.
VARIETY WORK IN POMOLOGY
Observations have been made on the substations, and in commercial
orchards throughout the State from year to year, on the behavior of the
better known varieties of fruits. Much time and care is taken in writing
1ST. C. Agricultural Experiment Station 53
and revising descriptions of all of the important varieties of fruits
grown in the State. These descriptions are to be used in future publi-cations,
and are being used in the office as an aid in identifying varieties
of fruit sent in from over the State.
NATIVE FRUITS OF NORTH CAROLINA
It is the purpose of this project' to determine the place of origin, the
history, and to secure descriptions of varieties of North Carolina origin.
Each year the data already secured are increased. Where opportunity
offered, the descriptions